Bound and Determined
by Jellyneau
Summary: Rose and the Doctor's clone are left on the beach and told to make a future together, but there are those who plan to make sure they don't. Rated M for a reason. Doctor/Rose Whump.
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor stood in front of what was left of the bathroom mirror, staring at his drawn, brown eyed, broken reflection. A shard of jagged glass was still embedded in his palm, his blood slowly trickling from the wound, winding its way down the bowl of the sink as he leaned on it.

It had been ten days since he had been dropped at Bad Wolf Bay with Rose; standing on the Beach, finally having said what he'd been too afraid to say to her before then. It had been the moment he'd been waiting for since he'd finally admitted that he wasn't whole without her. That was back when he was all leather and gruff, trying to convince himself he didn't need anyone. In truth, he knew it was because he felt he didn't deserve anyone after what he'd done. Even then, he knew in his hearts that he would die inside without her, because she was the only reason his hearts ever healed. And now he had finally gotten to say the words that confirmed that his life meant so much less without her in it. Her kiss had been desperate in response to his admission. He felt at that moment that, even though this recent 'rebirth' had been his most unconventional, he might be able to adapt and live with his new, mostly human form now that he finally had his Rose.

That was before they stood on the beach and watched Him leave, and he realized Rose's heart was breaking.

Walking to the rover, Rose's hand slipped from his. The ride back to London was stoney. Rose cried silent tears, her face turned to the window for most of the journey. He hadn't said a word - not daring to assume she could stand to hear his voice just then, so soon after He had parted from her forever. He braved a glance in her direction occasionally, not sure that he could stand the sight of her tears, but feeling an overwhelming need to look at her, to reassure himself that he was really sitting beside her now. He thought of reaching for her hand - her warm, small hand that he'd held through so many brilliant and sometimes terrifying moments. In reality, not much had been more truly horrifying to him than her possible rejection, right here, right now. Rose was here, within his reach, when she really couldn't be further from him. Finally he worked up the courage and reached out, cupping her hand with his. She jumped slightly at his touch, having been avoiding his gaze by keeping her face turned from him. For a second he thought she was going to refuse him, but she thankfully threaded her fingers through his. She glanced at him then, and gave him a small watery smile through her tears. He felt overwhelmed as she held his hand and for a moment he dared to hope that Rose might accept him as her Doctor.

His hopes were short lived though. On arriving at Pete and Jackie's mansion, Rose excused herself after a few awkward minutes of trying to sort the sleeping arrangements. That was the beginning of what the Doctor thought of as the slow death of his remaining heart. Over the next few days he watched Rose retreat further and further from him. Jackie and Pete had been so gracious; trying to make him feel welcome, despite their daughter's obvious pain at having him there. She hadn't joined the family for dinner the day they'd arrived, and when she finally did some days later, she'd sat across from him with her eyes downcast and red rimmed. He knew it pained her to look at him. Their tentative hand-holding in the rover on the way to the mansion was the last physical contact he'd had with her since they exited the vehicle and the distance between them was breaking him. By the fifth day, he knew he couldn't take it any longer. He couldn't be there knowing his existence was the very reason Rose was unable to heal. To grieve His loss.

He'd packed the small bag of clothes Jackie and Pete had been generous enough to buy him during their first couple of days here, and said good-bye to his hosts. Rose was nowhere to be seen, and while it made his heart clench painfully knowing he was leaving the one person he had left in the Universe, he couldn't say he was surprised she wasn't there to say good-bye. Jackie hugged him and pressed a roll of bills into his hand, which he gratefully accepted, promising to repay them as soon as he had means. Pete had offered the Doctor a place in the Torchwood ranks, but given his experience with them, he felt he'd rather find another way of supporting himself. If worse came to worse, he would have to think about it. Pete, however, had been gracious enough to arrange for the Doctor to stay in one of Torchwood's local flats that were held for Torchwood operatives who were in need of lodging while in London. He made sure to let the Doctor know that he was free to stay as long as he needed to.

Two days later he was here, standing in the small dark bathroom, staring at the face that had caused him to lose Rose. He felt anger well up in him, as he judged the brown eyes staring back at him. This was him now. He felt cursed for having to look in the mirror everyday and see His face leering back at him. Mocking the loss of his life. His TARDIS. His Rose. His fist flew at his reflection - effectively distorting the image in front of him. Is this what he was now? A mere distortion of the real thing?

He turned away, feeling tears of anger prickle in his eyes. He didn't deserve this! He knew he was born of only a hand, but it had been His hand, after all. He should therefore still be Him, with all the rights and privileges thereof. He looked down and examined the hand that had once been part of another whole. In it he saw the man who had saved the earth too many times to count. This hand had been part of creating the searing pain he had felt when he ended the lives of his people. In this hand he saw his whole life and the end of his life all at once. This hand and its history belonged to him. It had been there to experience the birth of planets and the growth of civilizations. It played a part in the Time War and the end of his people. It was this hand that first held Rose's hand. And it was this hand that gave birth to him. Essentially, he had been there, helping to form the memories he now clung onto. He earned those memories. And if this hand, the one now oozing blood - _their shared blood_, helped make him, then by extension, he was, indeed, the Doctor, as much as his twin was.

In the last couple of days he had given himself over to grief and to tears. He had lain on top of the sheets on the bed in this little flat, feeling more alone than he had in all his 900 years. But no more. He might be mostly human now, but he wasn't going to be a victim.

The Doctor woke the next morning with purpose. He wasn't going to sit around moping until his life was handed back to him. He was going to take it back. He was going to see Rose and she was going to listen to him. She needed to see that he was still Him. He was Her Doctor. And he would prove it to her, no matter what. He was going to rebuild as much of his life as he could here. He might not have a TARDIS, but he still had his Time Lord intelligence and Torchwood had some of the technology that would help rebuild some of his basic comforts of life; his sonic screwdriver, for example.

Grabbing his overcoat, he headed out the door of his building with vigor. His first stop - Torchwood. He was eager to get Pete's go ahead for use of Torchwood to help him in his quest for renewing his identity. In exchange, he planned to offer his services to Torchwood in any way that couldn't lead to violence. He planned to be very clear on that. HE had said that he had been born of violence and war. He knew it was true. He could feel it in him. But he wouldn't help rebuild weapons. He would help identify any potential threats to earth and help in any way that could not lead to destruction of life. He thought it a fair exchange.

The day was overcast, but not raining, and it was supposed to clear up later in the day. He knew this must be a good omen. In his heart, he knew that by the end of the day, he will have shown Rose that he was her Doctor. He will have proven that, while the other Doctor was unable to give her what she wanted, he could be there for her. With a renewed spring in his step, he practically danced down the street, his shadow skipping beside him, echoing his enthusiasm.

What he didn't know was that he was being followed by someone whose plans for him didn't involve his happiness, his freedom, his hopes for a future with Rose, or even his hopes for making a life on this planet. By the end of this day, the Doctor would know that he and Rose had little chance they'd ever see the light of day again.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rose, love, come down for tea" Jackie said, leaning against the doorframe to Rose's room. "That's enough of this - its crazy. You've not left your room for three days except to use the toilet, and I'll not have you withering to nothing. Besides - Tony is missin' his big sister. Rose? ...Rose? I'm talking to you!"

"Go away, Mom. I just want to be left alone" Rose complained, rolling into a tighter ball on her bed and covering her head with a pillow.

"Well, you've got to come out sometime." Jackie tried. When no movement came from the bed, she had finally had enough. It had been two days since the Doctor, well THIS Doctor, had left the mansion and Rose had fallen even further into her isolation. Deciding to actually talk about the un-talked about, she entered the room and perched on the side of the bed. "Love, what would the Doctor say if he saw you now - still grieving. He wanted you to be happy, didn't he?"

Rose turned to glare at her mother. "Happy? Mom, he left me! He left me here!" she thundered. "I crossed realities for him, and he dropped me with his clone. A CLONE, Mom! A copy of him that he didn't even trust to be in the same Universe as him! So he leaves him with me to babysit. To FIX?! No, Mom, he didn't want me to be happy. He wanted to get rid of two problems at once, and... And...". Rose broke into sobs. It tore Jackie up seeing her daughter in so much pain. Damn Him to hell for hurting her. At this moment she wanted to strangle that skinny alien git. At the same time, a little voice in her head reminded her that he did actually bring her back to her family. For that she knew she could never thank him enough. Damn it - she just wanted to be pissed at him right now. She tried to push aside all these thoughts and concentrate on Rose. She had to be strong for her daughter now. Jackie wrapped her arms around her oldest child, as much to comfort her as to give herself strength to say what had to be said. She couldn't sit by and watch Rose waste away.

Jackie sighed and hugged Rose even tighter. "Oh Rose, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. God - I really hadn't thought of it that way." Jackie reached over to the bedside table and offered the tissue box to her daughter. Rose blew her nose noisily and half-smiled at her mother.

"It's just... The Doctor... I thought he loved me. I thought, after these years apart we'd finally be together. I dedicated my life to getting back to him, Mom, and he didn't want me. He maybe loved me at one time... He almost told me as much. He even burned up a sun to say good-bye, he said." Rose could feel anger percolating under the surface again. "But then when the time comes to say It. Truly say it, he just couldn't! He could have, but he didn't. He left his clone to keep me placated and he ran, because he needed his freedom! I was going to be just another burden for him!". Rose sobbed back into her mother's shoulder, grateful for the box of tissues once again. After a moment, Jackie gently pushed her away to look at her.

"Now you listen to me, Rose Marion Tyler. I'm going to tell you something I just couldn't tell you before, because I knew the Doctor had wormed his way into your heart." Jackie steeled herself for what she had to say next. "I have always known deep down that the Doctor was really just a selfish man who thought of no one but himself and this proves it." She stood and started pacing the room, working herself up to look more and more angry. "That alien git probably took off in that bloody blue box of his and didn't even spare a further thought for you. In fact, he's probably touring his Universe having a gay old time with that girl, Donna right now, sighing in relief to be rid of you."

Rose pulled back and blinked at her mum, momentarily caught off guard. Why was she saying this?

"Mum,"

"If you ask me, he was always a selfish prat - even when he was all ears and big nose and all. Why else would he have lured a 19 year old girl away from a family that cared for her and a boyfriend who could have shown her real love?!"

Rose could barely believe what she was hearing. "Mom - he never LURED me... I went of my own free will!"

"Of course you did, Rose, you were young and impressionable and he was offering you the Universe! What young girl wouldn't want that? Not to mention that he was older and charming - how could you possibly have said 'no'? And he KNEW that! You never really had a choice, and he knew it!"

"Of course I had a choice! The Doctor never forced me to do anything. I was old enough to make my own decisions and I did! I chose to be with him!", Rose fumed.

"And how did that turn out then?" Jackie shot back. "Here you are, all by yourself, with him swanning off to be with some new companion who can do nothing but admire him and tell him how incredible and amazing he is! What did he ever do for you, then, after you gave him your heart and soul?"

Rose stood to face her mother. "Mum, you have no idea what he gave me. He saved my life more times than I can count. He showed me the Universe. He showed me time and space! Not only that, he made me feel important. I found out what I could be because of him! And he didn't just leave me here by myself! He left part of himself here with me!"

Rose stopped. _He left part of himself here with me_.

Staring at her mother, her jaw slightly agape, she realized that what she'd said was true. _Oh, Doctor. You really DID leave a piece of you here with me, didn't you?_ she thought. And while she knew she would maybe never forgive him for leaving her on that beach, she also knew that somehow he hadn't. Not really. He was still here. With her. And she hadn't even seen it.

"Oh God, Mum. What have I done?" Rose almost whispered, letting the weight of the truth sink in.

Without warning, Rose got up and started tugging on her jeans. She quickly grabbed a t-shirt draped over the back of her desk chair. "What are you doing?" Jackie asked, watching her daughter tug the shirt over head and pull a brush through her hair.

"I've got to go to him, Mom. He... I have to... " Rose stopped her movement and met her mother's eyes. "I...I've been awful to him. What if he doesn't forgive me?"

"Rose, you've put up with a lot more from him in the past. He'll forgive you. Besides; you two need each other", Jackie smiled. "Now go find that great lump and tell him so".

Rose needed no more encouragement. Grabbing her jacket on the way out, she just prayed she wasn't too late.

She was.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor waited patiently... Weellll, as patiently as the Doctor was able to wait, outside of Pete's office, trying to resist the urge to just get up and start exploring the Torchwood head office on his own. He knew he needed to make nice with Pete if he was going to get his cooperation, but he found it hard to sit still with his newfound enthusiasm coursing through him. Rassilon knows it was hard enough for him to sit still at the best of times.

After what seemed like an eternity, Pete stepped out of his office and invited him in with a hardy handshake. "Doctor! I was hoping to see you here soon. I didn't want to hound you, with you settling in to your new place and all...". Pete trailed off. The Doctor looked down for a moment, slightly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. Thankfully Pete recognized his discomfort and changed the subject.

"Anyhow - here you are! I'm hoping we can help each other out. Lord knows we can use your expertise, and now that you're, well, human, you'll need to support yourself somehow. Couldn't be a better fit, really." Pete smiled.

The Doctor knew how very true this was. He'd never had to worry much about where his next meal would come from or how he would pay for a place to stay before now. He'd spent the last few days thinking about his new status as an earthbound being. It had happened before, of course, in his third incarnation, but back then he was certain time travel would be his again. This time there was no such promise.

The Doctor shared his idea of working for Torchwood under the condition that he be allowed to access to their technology and alien 'artifacts'. Pete had concerns about giving the Doctor free reign in his artifacts department, but conceded that they didn't know half of what the items did anyway, and the Doctor could no doubt shed light on most, if not all of them. Another handshake confirmed their agreement and Pete wasted no time requesting clearance and ID for the Doctor. He could have someone give him a tour today and he could start as early as tomorrow. He would have to come up with a human name, of course, for the books. After a few moments, he knew what it needed to be. That decided, Pete filled out the paperwork that would waive the required medical examination, knowing that it would lead to too many questions. The Doctor confirmed that while he now had the basic biology of a human - one heart, no respiratory bypass, a human body temperature - his new DNA held small variants that still made him part Time Lord.

As the Doctor got up to leave, Pete spoke, "Doctor, you know that Jackie and I are here for you if you need anything."

The Doctor smiled. "Thanks, Pete.". He turned to go but halfway to the door he stopped. "You know, I haven't given up on Rose. And I won't. She is ... Well, she's my reason for going on. For living.". He looked down at his feet. "I love her, Pete" he said, almost overcome for a moment. He looked the other man in the eye, realizing he was looking for more than just someone to lend an ear. He needed permission to pursue Rose. He needed someone to understand his need for her.

"I know. And she loves the Doctor," Pete said, watching as the Doctor' s face fell. "but as far as I can see - that's you. She just needs to see it too."

Pete's words confirmed what he'd felt so sure of this morning. He still WAS the Doctor. He owned his identity as much as the other man. And he would show Rose it was true.

-

A couple of hours later, after liberating a few (basically useless) parts from various and sundry shelves he's passed by, the Doctor stepped out into the sunshine again. He tilted his head and closed his eyes, letting the sunlight warm his face. Taking a deep breath, he had a feeling things were starting to turn around. Next stop; the Tyler Estates. To Rose.

No time to waste, the Doctor bounded down the steps of the huge building and walked to the curb to hail a cab.

"Excuse me, do you have the time" a pleasant woman's voice asked from behind him.

The Doctor turned, ready to quip that he did, indeed have the time, when he felt a sharp jab to the side of his neck. The woman who belonged to the deceivingly pleasant voice was putting something in her handbag and gesturing to a rather large man to come closer. The Doctor's vision started to cloud and he felt his knees start to buckle. He felt himself being propped up and he tried to protest as he was walked to an awaiting car, but his mouth refused to cooperate. Willing himself to stay focused and conscious, he quickly realized he was well and truly sonic-ed.


	4. Chapter 4

Having tried unsuccessfully to find the Doctor at his flat, Rose sat on the front stoop of the apartment building. She figured that he must be out shopping or something. She could wait. The thought of her Doctor shopping in a grocery store made her smirk. She couldn't picture him with a trolley trying to choose between 100% whole wheat or white bread. Her Doctor. She realized she was truly thinking of him that way. She almost thought she felt her heart pang at the thought. She could have him. Really have him now. They could be together in a way she had only dared to imagine. If he would have her. Her pleasant thoughts were overtaken by worry. She wouldn't blame him if he rejected her now. She'd all but told him she hated him. Not with words, but that didn't matter.

Losing patience and feeling more and more anxious to find him and apologize and even beg if necessary, Rose took out her cell and rang Pete, hoping that he had maybe heard from the Doctor.

Pete's secretary answered the phone. "Mr. Tyler is out of his office at the moment, Ms. Tyler. Did you want me to have him call you?"

"That would be lovely, Carol, thank-you," Rose replied, then hung up. Well, now what? Deciding she couldn't just sit and wait, she decided to walk around the neighborhood to see if he was poking around in any of the local shops. He always did love a good shop. And she always loved how he pretended they were looking in the shops for her benefit. Heaven forbid the Oncoming Storm enjoy an afternoon poking his nose in and out of quaint boutiques.

Finding a row of shops along a nearby street, Rose stopped in front of a small candy shop, remembering how he liked his sweets.

She felt a small tap on the shoulder and turned to find an odd looking couple looking expectantly at her. The smiling woman was of slim build and slightly taller than she. The man, who seemed to be having a particularly bad day, towered over them both, his broad shoulders pushed up and his arms crossed in front of him.

"Excuse me... Is your name Rose?" the woman asked in a pleasant American accent.

"Do I know you?" Rose answered, starting to feel slightly uneasy as the man seemed to loom closer.

"Not yet," she said, grinning and approaching Rose.

Alarms clanged at the back of her head as she started to back away from this decidedly creepy couple. _Run!_ she could practically hear the Doctor yelling in her mind. She did.

Turning on her heels, she quickly sidestepped both of them and found herself running, heading back toward the Doctor's flat. A glance behind her confirmed that they were pursuing her, with the man gaining on her quickly. She saw a corner coming up and rounded it as fast as she could, nearly losing her balance as she skidded around the turn...into the arms of a swarthy looking man.

"Help me, please," she panted, grabbing the man by the arms, pleading with him as her two pursuers rounded the corner after her. "Those people are chasing me..."

"Thank-you for your cooperation, Ms. Tyler." She heard the woman's voice chime from just behind her. "We are grateful you've saved us the trouble of having to call for back-up." The woman nodded, and suddenly the man she'd been clinging to pulled her to him roughly. Rose squeaked in surprise and fear. Behind him a tan van pulled up and the back doors swung open. Rose looked around hoping that someone, anyone, might be looking. The street was clear.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'm sure you don't want to do this, yeah? I mean, I may not look like much, but I've got friends in high places. Really high places," Rose said, squirming in her captor's arms.

"Yes, Rose Tyler, we know you do. And we know exactly who you are," the woman purred. "Hugo - start her debriefing."

Rose didn't like the sound of that much. In fact, she down-right hated the idea. What would the Doctor do? Talk. That's what he'd do.

"O.k., listen... We may have started off on the wrong foot here!" Rose blurted as Mr. Swarthy heaved her off her feet and unceremoniously dumped her in the back of the van, following in close behind her, slamming the door closed behind him. Rose's shoulder stung from the impact of hitting the van floor, but she rolled over and sat up, keeping a close eye on Swarthy boy who was leering at her as she did so.

With a jolt, the van started moving and Rose was thrown back, the back of her head hitting a crate that was stacked up against the wall of the truck. Seeing stars, her head bloomed into a cloud of pain and she felt herself falling. She couldn't really be falling, though, right? But she was. Falling and falling into blackness.


	5. Chapter 5

A dull pain permeated from the back of her head to surround her entire skull. Rose groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes felt pushed from behind, like there were weights pressed against the backs of her eyeballs. She closed her eyes again and was surprised to find resistance when she tried to bring her hand up to rub her forehead. Knowing better than to try to open her eyes again, she decided to try to do an inventory starting with her hands. Gingerly, she tried to move her hands. She found she was able to wiggle her fingers but was unable to lift either one, with each of her wrists being tied firmly down. Already this was not looking up. From there she realized that she was sitting upright on a cushioned chair, with each foot tied to a leg of said chair. No wiggle room there, either. Her head had evidently been lolling, as her neck screamed when she attempted to lift the weight of her injured skull, her spine having been cricked at an awkward angle for God knows how long.

God knows how long. How long _had_ she been here like this? She tried to pull information in from around her. It was then she took notice of the persistent hum and slight rumble beneath her feet. She decided to risk opening her eyes again.

This time, she opened her eyes a bit at a time until she had a good view of her surroundings. She was tied to a seat in what looked to be the back row of a small passenger plane. She slowly turned her head to see if she was alone. No such luck. In the row across from her sat the burly man who had accompanied her in the back of the van. He was leaning back in his seat, hands resting on his belly, snoring softly.

Damn it. How did she always seem to end up in these situations? Her thoughts turned to the Doctor then. She hadn't even gotten to tell him how wrong she was. That she'd been a complete idiot and that she'd do anything to show him how very sorry she was. Her eyes welled up at the thought. He might never know now. The thought that he might forever think she'd rejected him made the tears finally spill over.

A soft 'ding' rang through the plane and the seatbelt sign came on. No worries there, Rose thought wryly. She glanced over at Burly and found him stirring. The plane began its descent to wherever their destination was. She closed her eyes again and tried to think. Judging by the hospitality so far, it wasn't anywhere with soft beds and a spa in the foyer. Who would kidnap her? Someone looking for money from Pete? He was an incredibly important and wealthy man in this universe and she wouldn't be surprised if someone sought to blackmail him. A familiar voice permeated her thoughts. Her eyes flew open.

"Helllooo? Can't a person get a drink around here? I don't want you to think I don't appreciate the comfy chair, 'cause I do. Everyone appreciates a comfy chair. But really, the service on this flight has been sorely lacking. I'd like to complain to the captain of this fine vessel. Or the management. Who would that be, exactly? The management, I mean."

Rose could barely contain herself. "DOCTOR!" she shouted, making Burly jump fully awake in his seat. "DOCTOR! I'M HERE TOO!"

"ROSE?!" the Doctor's panicked voice called from somewhere ahead of her. "ROSE - ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"Shut up!" Rose heard a male American voice shout. She heard the sound of flesh on flesh and heard the Doctor grunt.

"DOCTOR!" she called, alarmed. Burly responded immediately with a hard slap to her face. A sharp sting rang through her skin and into her injured skull.

"You shut up, too, bitch," Burly sneered.

_Oh God_, Rose thought, _please let him be alright_.

Rose felt the landing gear descend and before she had time to brace herself, they were landing. This was all terrifying enough before, when she was the only one being abducted. Now she could only think of the Doctor. What had they done to him? Why did they want him as well? Surely they didn't think Pete would pay for his return? She couldn't imagine that anyone would think that the Doctor and Pete were very close. After all, the Doctor had only shown up in this Universe a couple of weeks ago. No one, other than her family and a few select Torchwood operatives, knew he was even here. No - there was another reason for all this. And if the Doctor was also a target, then whatever they had planned involved much more than a mere ransom situation. Rose bit her lip and willed herself to calm down. She was no help to the Doctor in such a state. She had to stay on the top of her game if she was going to figure a way out of this for the Doctor, for herself, and so she could prove to him that she deserved a second chance.


	6. Chapter 6

A sharp cold cut brutally through the Doctor's fist induced sleep, making his eyes fly open and his chest heave in a desperate gasp.

"Wakey-wakey, Limey... or _whatever_ you are," the woman drawled in an American accent, standing above him, an empty bucket in hand.

He shivered and shook the water from his eyes and hair. Realizing he was no longer sitting on his 'comfy chair', he quickly looked around. He was in a small grey room with solid walls, sitting in a puddle of ice water on a cold cement floor. His arms were pulled tightly behind his back and bound to a mottled pole. He was so cold. It was then he realized he was wearing only his pants.

Looking up, the Doctor saw the woman who had asked him for the time back in London. She looked to be in her late twenties and was wearing what appeared to be fatigues. No insignia identified what outfit she represented. She had blonde, cropped hair and deceivingly gentle, attractive features.

Realizing that he was clearly in the underdog position here, the Doctor turned to his best form of defense. "So, not to sound ungrateful for the wake-up call, but couldn't we just discuss your... issues... needs, or whatever, in a more comfortable setting? You'll find I'm much more amenable to helping people out when I'm not tied to a post in their dungeon. Just a thought," the Doctor said in as charming a tone as he could muster.

His feigned nonchalance didn't last long, however, as a boot landed heavily on his chest resulting in an undignified grunt. Suddenly, fire burst through his head and zinged through him like a lightening bolt. His body arched away from the floor and the pole he was tied to. He screamed loudly in surprise and pain. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over.

He pulled in a breath as his body stopped contracting and slumped back down.

"That is the last thing you'll say until I tell you to say something," the blonde said, pulling a metal rod away from the Doctor's side. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. You will answer them. Nod if you understand me," the blonde said.

The Doctor nodded, realizing this was not the time for a quick retort.

"I understand you just relocated to London. Our Intelligence has it that you're a long way from home. A long, _long_ way, it appears. Where are you from?" the woman said calmly, as if nothing more than a pleasant conversation was taking place.

The Doctor had to make all his answers count if he wanted to somehow try to improve on his situation. "I'm from Bath. I was -" A jolt of pain flew through him, this time originating from his right leg. He screamed again. A few moments later, he once again gasped for air.

"You'll find I have no patience for bullshit. You're not from this Universe. You don't need to know how we know that. Just understand that we do. Now, you might as well tell me what I need to know or this could go on all day. And believe me when I say that I wouldn't mind that one bit," she smiled, her gleaming eyes suggesting that she wasn't soley doing this out of duty.

"Now. Let's start again. Where are you from."

Knowing he'd better cooperate for now, until he had a better idea what he was up against, he decided to give them the bare minimum. "I'm... I'm not from this Universe. I'm from a parallel Universe."

"Better answer," the woman purred, kneeling down in front of the Doctor, her face inches from his. "Now that we've established that much, how did you get here, Spaceman? I'm assuming you have some sort of vessel."

The Doctor paused.

Wondering how he should answer that question, he decided that a bit of truth might be enough to buy him a bit of time. "I'm from earth in an alternate universe. The technology there is a bit ahead of that here. I was exploring the outer reaches of it's solar system when my ship got caught in an anomaly." The Doctor paused to gauge her reaction. The blonde arched an eyebrow impatiently. Taking a deep breath, he pressed on, "I can't say more about the anomaly, because I don't know anything about it other than somehow I got pulled out of my Universe and into this one." The Doctor stopped to weigh the effects of his words on the woman in front of him. She responded by leaning in even closer, so that her chest pressed against him, her eyes never leaving his. A twinge of dread ran through him when he felt the metal rod slide into his boxers so that it rested against the side of his buttock.

The woman sighed her next question into his ear, as she leaned in further, wrapping her free hand around the back of his neck to pull his head in closer to hers. Her closeness repelled him. "Where is your ship now, my dear man? What did she call you? Doctor?" That was the first mention of Rose in all this. He was aching to know where she was. If she was okay. But he knew better than to give these people reason to target Rose further because of him. The woman's breath puffed in his ear, awaiting his response. Knowing she was actually getting off on this, the Doctor decided he better not push his luck. Again, he opted for a part-truth.

"She...my ship, she crash landed in Dårlig Ulv-Stranden in Norway just a few weeks ago. I was lucky to make it out alive, really. What was left of it was absconded by Torchwood. I'm assuming you're familiar with particular agency, seeing as that's where you so thoughtfully picked me up to give me a lift across the ocean."

Once again, his screams filled the small room. When the burning pain finally ceased, the Doctor felt a soft hand cup his face. "Your cheek will get you nowhere fast, dear Doctor. And I think you've realized by now that I'm just aching to show you how much I despise it when my prisoners give me attitude." She let her finger trail down his chest, finally stopping at the band of his pants. Her eyes bore into his, daring him to respond. He didn't.

Apparently satisfied that he was going to keep quiet this time, she stood, her legs apart, hemming his own in, as if goading him to look up. When he didn't, she pushed the rod under his chin and used it to tilt his head back, making his eyes meet hers. "Since we're exchanging names, you can call me 'God'," she smirked, "because that's what I will be to you from now on. And you'll find, Doctor, that I'm a rather merciless one."

"Now," 'God' said brightly, "as much as I am _truly_ enjoying this, I have to go see a girl about a very interesting object. You may know her. Little blonde thing. Cute. _Flexible_," she said, dropping her voice.

The Doctor's stomach dropped. "What have you done to her!" he growled, losing all inhibition.

"Hmmm," the blonde hummed, "it seems I've hit a soft spot," she smiled coyly.

The Doctor kept his eyes trained on her, not backing down. "Where is she? So help me, if you've harmed her in any way..."

"You'll WHAT, Doctor? Shoot me? Torture me? Oh wait... you're tied up on the floor!" the woman taunted, pushing the rod more firmly into his throat. "No, Doctor, I think I'll be fine. In fact, I think in a few minutes I'll be feeling _much_ more than fine. Your 'Rose' is a feisty thing. I _love_ a good challenge. And a good blonde," 'God' said, turning and nodding to the two burly guards who had followed her in. She swept out, with Curly and Moe following her out.

"You'd better not hurt her!" the Doctor yelled after them. "You'll live to regret this day if you've even touched her!"

Now alone in the cold room, the Doctor seethed. Rose. What had they already done to her? He had to get to her. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. His hearts..._heart_... clenched at the intruding vision of Rose tied up, being electrocuted as he was. He knew she was resourceful, but he was the most clever being in the Universe...-es, and look at him. Tied up like an animal, helpless. What would she be able to do to get herself out of this? Nothing. He had to reach her.

With renewed purpose, the Doctor looked around him to assess his options. It didn't look promising. _Think_! _Think_!, the Doctor prodded himself. An idea began to form, but it was truly if-y at best. At least it was something.

A blood curdling scream broke him out of his thoughts. Moments later another wail of agony rang out to augment the first and this time there was no question. It was Rose.


	7. Chapter 7

Having endured what seemed like hours of 'questioning', Rose lay in a heap on the ground in her cold cement cell, her wrists still bound and bleeding. The woman, who informed Rose that she was to address her simply as, 'God', because she now held that position over her, had apparently tired of Rose's company for now. Letting tears flow freely, Rose sank into self-pity. Refusing to allow herself to refer to that...thing, as God, she decided to merely think of her as 'Thing'. She didn't deserve to be called a woman, a person, or even 'human' in Rose's view.

Having been jabbed with a needle in the side of her neck immediately after the plane had landed, Rose had lost consciousness, despite her attempts to fight the drug. She woke later to find herself alone in this room, hoisted uncomfortably with her arms pulled above her head so that she was dangling from them in the middle of the room. Her shoulders and arms burned, having had her full weight on them for who knows how long. She pulled her feet up to put weight on them, thankful that she was at least able to touch the floor with them. Her arms and shoulders still burned, but the pain receded slightly in her new position. It was then she noticed that she was standing with very little to cover herself. Someone had removed most of her clothes, leaving her hanging in only her bra and knickers. From her training at Torchwood, she knew the reasoning behind her clothesless state. Leaving a prisoner naked made him...or her... feel as vulnerable as possible. The captor needed to take away any sense of power their prisoner might feel by stripping away their clothes and their dignity. What usually followed, after further persuasion, was submission and information. Rose also knew from her training that it was best, when caught in said situation, to give as much information as possible without divulging the core truth. The idea was to placate the captor in order to buy yourself time to either form an escape plan or time for your colleagues to find and rescue you.

In the beginning 'Thing' demanded information about where she was really from and how she'd gotten here. When her answers didn't satisfy, Thing stuck her with the electric rod. She'd screamed out, unable to stop herself, the electricity coursing through her, burning her up from the inside. After quickly realizing (through painful persuasion), that Thing already knew about her being from another universe, she gave as much information as she could about her arrival from an alternative universe in a 'ship' four years ago. She left the Doctor out of it on purpose. They didn't need to know more about him than necessary, though if they somehow knew she wasn't from this universe, they surely had figured out he wasn't as well.

She'd shared that Torchwood had rescued her after she arrived in this universe and that she'd been 'adopted' by Pete Tyler, whom she'd met as the leader of Torchwood (no need to share her real relationship with him). She'd taken his name to more easily fit into this universe and in exchange, she shared what she knew about the 'other earth's' technology.

That is when she found out what they were really after.

"So. Seeing as how you're an experienced spacecraft pilot from the another universe, you should know all about its weapons as well. Surely no planet would send a craft out to explore the outer reaches of its solar system without weapons."

Rose flinched inside. She had some experience with extra-terrestrial weapons and had even harvested some from various crash sites over the years, but researching them hadn't been her department. Rose made up some story about the fact that her vessel had been purely an exploration ship and that no weapons had been authorized for it, as it was deemed unnecessary by the officials on her planet.

Thing's response to this information was swift and painful, filling Rose with blinding fire and leaving her heaving and twitching afterward.

"I think you're lieing to me. You probably don't want to do that again." Thing looked over her shoulder at the two gorillas trying to pass as men. Rose recognized the ape to her right as being the lug from the plane, 'Hugo'. "Gentlemen."

Both men lumbered over to either side of Rose, awaiting instructions. Thing nodded toward Rose's legs, and both men seemed to understand exactly what she wanted and they knelt down on either side of her. Steeling herself, Rose looked up to see Thing nod again at her animals. They reacted by roughly pulling her legs apart so that her feet no longer touched the ground, Rose's full weight pulled her arms taught once again above her head, leaving the ropes cutting into her wrists. Her eyes watered in response and she choked back a cry.

"Rose", Thing drawled, "I understand you might not want to share everything you know with me. You hardly know me, after all. But I assure you, you're going to want to share _everything_ you know with me before we're finished here." A one sided smile played on her lips as she slid the metal wand from her belt.

Rose felt dread fill her. It mingled there with the real fear that she might not make it through this alive. Thing was studying her face, seemingly revelling in Rose's reaction. She knew this bitch was enjoying every moment.

Turning on her heel, Thing walked to the door, opened it and pulled in a large, gun-like contraption sitting atop a trolley. It looked to be at least a metre and a half long with one huge nozzle extending out of the centre ending in a narrow slit of an opening. Various buttons adorned it's sides and top and a small screen projected out from what seemed to be the back of it. It seemed to be 'powered down', as it looked like the buttons would normally have been illuminated.

Despite her predicament, Rose found herself wondering what the hell this thing was for and how it got here. It didn't look like anything she'd ever come across, either at Torchwood or in her cross universe travels. Rose caught Thing's eyes, and realized she was being studied.

"You're going to tell me what this does." Thing said simply.

Rose realized then that there was no way she was getting out of this without experiencing even worse pain than she'd already been through. Even if she knew what this thing was, she would never be able to share that with this monster. Trying to brace herself, Rose said, almost resignedly, "I don't know what it is."

It was almost as if this was the answer Thing had hoped for. She strode forward with the metal wand ready and knelt before Rose. "I was almost _hoping_ you'd say that. It seems a waste not to take advantage someone in such a vulnerable position." she grinned evilly up at her before sliding her tongue down one side of her thigh and biting down hard.

Rose screamed loudly, and her tormentor pulled back from her to watch Rose's blood slide down her leg. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, willing her tears not to give away how fully this woman had hurt her.

"Seems a shame not to have a matching set, " Thing mewed, surveying her work. With that, she nodded to Hugo. He didn't waste any time following her command. Rose squirmed and grunted as the ape took on the task of creating a matching scar on her other thigh. She screamed once again, and this time she was unable to hold back the tears. Blood poured down her thigh and pooled together with the dark red liquid already formed at her feet from the first bite.

Giving her minion a silent order to pull back, Thing stood directly in front of her. "Oh, don't _cry_, Rose, " Thing purred, gently removing a strand of Rose's hair back behind her ear. She looked truly saddened by Rose's tears. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you. If you'd only just told me what I wanted to know..." she trailed off, toying with the wand in her hands. "And you know," she smirked, "now that I've had a taste...of you, it's going to be harder for me to hold back. So you might want to consider just letting go and telling me what I need to know."

Knowing she was going to get it no matter what she said, Rose let her anger at this woman and this situation take her over. "I said, I _don't KNOW!_" Rose spat at her. "I. DON'T. KNOW!" Rose yelled, her voice and body shaking with the effort.

Thing took a small step back and examined her captive. Rose was practically snarling at her, baring her teeth, daring her to respond. And respond she did. With the one thing Rose hadn't expected.

"I wonder if this... 'Doctor' knows what it is. What do you think?" she asked, matter of factly.

All the rage drained from her and Rose felt nothing but true fear now. Not for herself, but for the person she loved more than anyone else in the universes. "You leave him alone!" she demanded, but backed down and said quietly, "I don't know what it is... I just... I've never seen anything like it before." Looking directly in Thing's eyes, she said as assuredly as she could, "But I can find out for you."

Just then, a soft knock came at the door. "Come", Thing said with authority. A small-ish man in his mid-thirties wearing a lab coat entered the room and whispered something in her ear. He left as quietly as he entered and Thing turned back to Rose, all sweetness once again.

"You know, Rose, I'm inclined to believe that you actually don't know what this is," she said, stroking the weapon lightly. "The problem is that I really don't think you _can_ find out what it is without exposing us." she said solemnly. "So... I guess I'll have to drag it out of another space traveller I have at my disposal."

Rose whimpered a small 'No', knowing the Doctor was about to suffer at the hands of this monster and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oh yes, my darling. You see, I've just found out that while you both have travelled between universes, your Doctor is a bigger catch than we even hoped for. Our team has analyzed your blood samples and it turns out he's not exactly human. But then... you knew that, didn't you?" Thing said, kneeling down before Rose once again. "Withholding information from me will not be tolerated, young lady. You need to learn your place, which is under me. Your new God."

Thing once again slid the metal wand out of her belt at looked at it lovingly before lifting her hooded eyes to meet Rose's. Rose then did what she had swore she wouldn't. She begged.

It didn't work.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor sat alone in his cell for what seemed like hours, listening to Rose's screams from somewhere close by. Every pain filled howl reinforced his rage, leaving him more and more desperate to escape. He couldn't let himself imagine what was happening to her. All he knew is that he had to find her. Knowing it was futile, the Doctor pulled at the ropes binding his wrists, getting nowhere. He could feel the course, braided rope digging into his skin, knowing it was drawing blood; he could feel his hands becoming wet and sticky with every pull at the offending bonds.

After a while, Rose's screams finally stopped. His mind whirred at the possibilities. Was she dead? Had they tortured her and she'd finally succumbed to the wounds? No - he couldn't think that way. This universe...any universe wouldn't be worth living in if she wasn't in it. He'd already found that out the hard way. And to have her taken from him just when he could finally truly be with her would be a crueller joke than he could imagine anything in creation could possibly play on him.

His reverie was broken by the door finally opening. 'God'... no. _Blondie_... was back, followed by a large guard. This time she brought a toy in with her. She wheeled in a trolley, and resting on it... ohhh, oh... no. No no no... that couldn't be what he thought it was. His stomach clenched and he felt the beginnings of nausea set in. He'd only seen one of these before in his lifetimes and had been relieved to find out the last one in existence was destroyed in the time war. If these humans had it... oh Rassilon... that meant this entire planet was a ticking time bomb.

"Where... where did you get that?" the Doctor couldn't help breathing out.

"Oh! Wonderful! You're familiar with it, are you?" Blondie smiled. "Isn't that lucky. That will save so much time. Not to mention, electricity," she smirked. The Doctor shivered, knowing she was only too willing to pull out that particular motivator again. With his attention successfully pulled away from the object of his increasing dread, and his mind filled with thoughts of Rose and what forms of pleasure this woman had given herself at the expense of his beautiful human.

"Where's Rose! What have you done to her!" the Doctor demanded.

"Relax, Loverboy. Your whore is sleeping after our recent encounter. Oh, but she was a hard one to break. But finally, she was all tears - _"Don't hurt him! I'll tell you everything!"_ Blondie whined in mock imitation of Rose's pleas.

The Doctor saw red and began pulling at his ropes again with vigor. "You bitch!" he roared. "You'll pay for every bruise you've caused her, do you hear me?!" the Doctor spat.

"Au contraire, dear man... or _whatever_ you are," she drawled out, "I think _she_ is the one who will pay if you don't cooperate with me. You see... I know you're not really human, are you? A little bird whispered in my ear that you're in fact part-alien. And seeing as she _is_ a mere human who doesn't know anything about my little project here, she's not much use to me. She is, I've gathered, a bit of an interest to you, though, Doctor. I wonder how I could possibly use that to my advantage?" she teased, walking in a slow circle around the still bound Doctor.

The Doctor looked up at her sharply with all the power of the Oncoming Storm behind his gaze. "You will NOT harm Rose again," he said, his voice tight and quiet.

The raw power exuding from him nearly made her pause. But not quite.

"Well, dear Doctor... I guess that will be up to you. Cooperate, and I assure you that your... sorry, _my_ plaything...will be left alone."

The Doctor focused once again on the object of this entire ordeal. "You want to know what that is," he said, stating the obvious.

"Good for you. A hundred points to the man in the pin-striped boxers!" Blondie sneered. "Yes. We want to know what it is." Taking her time, she sauntered over to the trolley and looked at the offending object with reverence. "We found it in a crash site in the Nevada desert. All the aliens on board were dead. Turns out their armour wasn't enough to protect them from whatever exists between the universes."

The Doctor knew immediately what had been aboard that ship. Daleks. They must have somehow escaped the time lock by travelling through the void - only to end up fried by their attempt at entering this universe.

"We know this must be some sort of weapon, but what exactly it does and how to operate it is still a mystery to us. That is the very reason we've...borrowed you from Torchwood. Both you and your girlfriend."

"Why us? There are hundreds of operatives that work out of Torchwood - why focus on us?" the Doctor wondered out loud in a bid to keep her talking.

Content to hear herself talk, Blondie continued, "Dear man, you don't need to know who I represent, but suffice to say, we have a vast amount of resources at our disposal. Resources in money, intelligence and technology. One particularly useful bit of hardware we've acquired allows us to find people who have travelled from other universes." The Doctor knew immediately that she was referring to a 'particle reverter'. It's original purpose was to restore damaged ion particles, but it would work just as well to detect void particles if that's what you were looking for. They must have recovered it from some poor devil's crash site. "With it we found your girlfriend a couple of months ago. We found one other besides her... Mr. Tyler's wife. We decided make our move and take in Rose Tyler alone, seeing as she was the one directly involved with Torchwood, but that's when you showed up. And low and behold...guess who else happened to be swarming with the cross universe particles? And when we saw you coming out of Torchwood headquarters we couldn't pass you up. Good thing we did. At least _one_ of you paid off," she smiled. "Mind you, your...'flower' has had her uses," she intimated, raising an eyebrow.

Gritting his teeth and deciding not to take the bait, the Doctor focused again on the machine in front of him. "And what, exactly, do you hope to get out of me? Yes, I've seen one of these before, but I've never actually touched one, let alone set one up."

"That may be true...or not," she said, the smile dropping from her lips, "but you _are_ aware of what it does." Blondie knelt down beside him and pulled out her favourite inflictor of pain, "And you _will_ tell me."

The Doctor's mouth went dry, but he held her gaze, mirroring her threat with an unspoken one of his own. "All that can possibly come of this technology is mass annihilation. It's not selective," the Doctor said menacingly. "This...is so far beyond being a mere weapon. You have no idea what you're playing with," the Doctor finished, letting silence emphasize his words.

Blondie seemed at a loss for a moment, but she very quickly recovered and resumed her interrogation. The Doctor could see that his words has impacted her, at least a little bit. "I don't need a lecture from you, alien. What I need is a direct answer to my question." she bit out. The Doctor braced himself for a shock, but was surprised instead when she stood up abruptly and nodded to the grunt standing near the door.

At her signal, the thug opened the door. The Doctor's heart fell as a wheelchair was rolled in. In it sat his Rose, naked and blindfolded. She was tied to the arms and legs of the chair, and had clearly been tortured. Burn marks marred the beautiful skin on one of her legs, both of her arms and on her ribs just below her right breast. So this animal at least avoided directly shocking her heart, he thanked every deity silently. Dried blood snaked down both her legs from what the Doctor could make out were open, seeping wounds on the tops of both thighs. She was shaking and whimpering quietly.

"Rose!" the Doctor almost cried.

Rose's head popped up from her defeated position. "Doctor?!" she breathed in with relief and amazement. Her joy at hearing his voice was immediately replaced with searing agony as Blondie reminded her why she was to address her as 'God'.

"ROSE!" the Doctor cried, watching the love of his lives writhe in anguish in front of him. "STOP THIS!" he yelled, addressing Blondie directly. "Stop it NOW!"

"Oh... you'd like me to stop?" Blondie said, innocently, continuing her slow electrocution of the person he lived and breathed for. "Well why didn't you just say so?"

Blondie withdrew her implement of misery and Rose slumped sideways in the chair, unconscious.

"Rose," the Doctor moaned, tears filling his eyes as he took in Rose's now still form.

"I trust you now understand that I have no problem showing you how very serious I am about this." Blondie said gravely. "Now you _will_ tell me what I want to know and you won't hold anything back. Got it?"

Unable to draw his eyes away from Rose, he slowly nodded, knowing full well he couldn't comply with her demands, no matter _who_ was at risk. He pulled his attention from the carnage that was the only woman he'd ever really loved, and looked again at the monster who had caused her such misery. He vowed with all that he was that she would pay for it. With every fibre of his being he promised this to Rose silently.

"It's called a 'Pybronashin' - or that's as close as I can pronounce it in English," the Doctor said, making himself speak through a haze of anger. "It was developed for the sole purpose of destroying entire worlds. And you're... pulling it around like its a... a sheet cake or something." He took a deep shaky breath and continued. "It's the equivalent of 200 000 atom bombs. It could...it _will_ destroy this planet if you don't treat it with the _utmost_ respect."

Blondie took a moment to circle the object in question, this time, keeping her distance just a bit more, the Doctor observed. "And... how does it work?" she asked, with something akin to awe.

"Well, I can't very well figure that out from here, can I?" the Doctor dared. He knew his every response could well result in more suffering for Rose, but he needed to get out of these bonds. He could do nothing from where he sat.

Blondie studied him for a moment. The Doctor's worry that he'd pushed it too far became full fledged panic when she nodded to one of the apes behind her. He was sure he'd just filled out Rose's death warrant, when the lug instead lumbered over to him and bent down behind him to release his bonds. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, the Doctor geared himself up for what he had to do next. Gingerly rubbing his frayed wrists, he slowly pulled himself to stand, holding on to the post for support. He cursed this human body once again for it's fragility. If he felt like this from the few shocks he had withstood, how on this earth could Rose have possibly held up after having taken so much more? He dared a glance in her direction and, once again, he wished he could take away every ounce of her pain. And once again, he vowed that those who caused it would suffer in kind.

Growing impatient, the man behind him pulled him up from under his arm and dragged him unceremoniously to plant him firmly in front of the device. The Doctor quickly backed away with a squawk, making himself assured he was at least a full two feet away from it. Sensing his near panic at being that close to the device, Blondie took a step back from the weapon as well, raising the rod defensively at his abrupt movement.

"Blimey! Be careful, you great baboon!" the Doctor thundered out of fear and anger. "As much as I'd like to leave this planet, I'd rather it be in one piece, thanks!"

Butch looked to Blondie for guidance as to how exactly to react to the Doctor's outburst. She nodded slightly for him to back away from the Doctor, which he did with some regret. The Doctor was sure he'd much rather have ploughed him in the jaw instead.

With the ape now once again standing by the door of the room, the Doctor turned his attention back to the problem before him. The pybronashin was thankfully powered down and sat almost delicately on the trolley. It was hard to believe that something so small could end an entire civilization in a matter of moments. And these idiots actually wanted to activate it? Knowing Blondie would be expecting a play by play, the Doctor talked his way through the biology of the beast in front of them.

"From here it looks like it's mostly intact. Mind you, if it wasn't, we would pretty much be space dust right about now," the Doctor commented. He slowly circled the weapon, feeling Blondie's eyes follow him closely. "With it powered down I can't tell if the guidance system is actually programmable. The detonator, if I remember right, is somewhere along... oh." The Doctor stopped.

"What?" the blonde demanded.

"This is NOT good. The very opposite of good, in fact," the Doctor murmured, almost to himself, now immersed in his examination.

"What's not good?!" Blondie said, clearly disturbed but getting irritated by the Doctor's lack of prompt response.

The Doctor approached the device carefully and bent forward to get a better look at the offending component. Slowly standing back up to his full height, he ran his fingers through his hair, blowing a puff of air out while he did so. "The detonator is damaged. It's completely useless by the looks of it." While the Doctor knew this wasn't strictly true, he also knew there was no way humans of this time period could ever sort that out. His worry was that Blondie might not buy it.

His worries were confirmed when she approached him from behind, pressed herself against his back and slipped one of her hands around him to run it along his bare chest. "I think you'll figure something out, Doctor. For your girlfriend's sake." she said, emphasizing her final words with a nod to her grunt. He started moving toward Rose.

The Doctor could feel himself start to flush again with anger. "I can't just repair it. Earth doesn't have the proper materials! Not to mention that the tiniest error would result in the apocalypse!" the Doctor said, exasperated and terrified for Rose.

"Well, you'd better work that out then, my dear man. I'll give you a bit of time to think about a solution and what materials you could make due with. And I suggest you don't take too long." She nodded toward the beast now standing behind Rose brandishing the electric wand. Mercilessly, he placed the rod on Rose's temple. Her body shook violently, but she made no sound.

"NO!" the Doctor roared, breaking away from Blondie and ending up tackled to the ground from behind by the other guard.

"Now, assuming she's survived my dear Hugo just now, I'm pretty sure your girlfriend is going to need some medical treatment. In fact, I believe those wounds on her legs may be infected, which would make sense, seeing as we saw to it that they would be. I think we have some antibiotics around here. I have a feeling it will take me a while to find some. Probably as long as it takes you to come up with a workable plan, Doctor," she warned.

"Tie him up, Adik", Blondie ordered the man currently holding him down. "Oh - and make sure he has a good view of his whore. I'd hate it if he had nothing to look at while we're gone." With that, she left, Hugo following close behind her.

Adik set to work tieing him back up to the post he'd become so familiar with. The room was silent except for the Doctor's laboured breathing. Trying to centre himself, he decided to try to reach out to this man... after all, his gob had rarely failed him in the past.

"Adik. That's your name? Nice name. Strong. Listen, Adik," the Doctor started as conversationally as he could manage, "I know you may not trust me, but don't you see what that thing is? It pretty much spells out the end of this planet. And no matter whose side you're on in whatever... conflict you're involved in, this weapon is clearly not the answer. Surely you can see that?" He paused, but Adik offered no reply and instead began securing the top of Doctor's head to the pole so that he was now unable to move his head or his hands. The Doctor pressed on, becoming more passionate by the moment, trying to emphasize his point. "Look...It doesn't care that you have people you care for, Adik... it won't selectively target only your enemies. Don't you get it? It will KILL EVERYONE!"

Adik pulled back and stood, moving to stand in front the Doctor. "It's not my place to have an opinion. Yours either. Do as you're told. Less pain that way," Adik said, turning his head slightly to refer to Rose.

And with that, he was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor sat across from Rose, ashamed to look at her naked, beaten form, but too horrified to look away. She was facing him square on, leaving her bare and open to him. He had hoped that one day Rose might share herself with him; that she might someday find him worthy of letting him look upon her beautiful body as a prelude to something sacred between them. Now, as he was made to face her; her legs open and arms bound, all dignity stripped away, the Doctor felt the full force of her violation. Trying not to wallow in grief for his incredible, broken pink and yellow human, he decided to instead focus on her physical state.

The bite wounds they'd inflicted indeed seemed to be infected, with both surrounded by angry red skin and the more severe of the two starting to ooze pus. He was sure she must be running a fever now, as he could see a light sheen glistening off her forehead and chest. He catalogued the dried blood and the dark bruises forming around her groin. She had been raped, he was sure. Once again, his eyes began to glisten with tears and he closed his eyes. He should have been able to save her from this.

"Doctor?" Rose's pained voice permeated his thoughts.

"Rose!" the Doctor nearly sang with relief. "Rose, my Rose...I'm here."

"Doctor? Where am I?" Rose said, alarmed and disoriented. "I can't move... Oh my God, Doctor, I can't see!"

"You're bound and blindfolded, Rose, but we're safe for now. Do you... what do you remember?" the Doctor asked tentatively.

"I... uh, don't..." Rose licked her cracked lips, "I remember sitting on your stoop, waiting for you to come home, and then... I... I don't remember anything else," Rose said, beginning to panic. "Doctor - what's happened? Where are we?"

The Doctor didn't miss her mention of his front stoop and stored this information away for later. Thankful she couldn't recall their brutal treatment of her, he chose his words carefully to try to ease her back into this horrid reality. "We're in a bunker somewhere in the United States, and we're not in the company of friends. Now, I need to tell you something, Rose, and I need to you to listen carefully and try to stay calm."

Rose nodded, biting her lip. The Doctor's heart clenched at the sight, knowing she was placing her trust in him. He wasn't going to let her down again. "We've been kidnapped... taken by some people who want information about a weapon they've found at a Dalek crash site. They think we can help them fix it for them. They... they've hurt you, Rose." The Doctor's voice caught, despite his best efforts to remain calm for her sake.

Rose heard the pain in his voice at this admission and she quickly took stalk of her body, feeling the reality of her situation press in on her. The adrenaline that had flooded her upon waking had now ebbed, leaving pain in its wake. She ached everywhere and realized she was shaking with cold. The tops of her legs burned and she felt as if someone had dropped an anvil on her abdomen. She tried to shift herself slightly in her seat and came to the blinding realization that she was completely naked. Deep mortification spread through her at the thought that the Doctor might well be looking at her right now. "Ohhhhh," she moaned, in abject shame and embarrassment.

Misreading her groan, the Doctor said in as reassuring a voice as he could, "Rose? I _will_ get us out of this. I promise you. If I accomplish nothing else with this last life I've got, I swear to you I will get you somewhere safe. Do you hear me?"

Rose nodded again, unable to hold back the tears now soaking her blindfold. Swallowing her embarrassment, she knew she needed to make sure not another moment went by without him knowing how she felt. "Doctor... I need to tell you... I'm sorry," she spluttered. "I'm so sorry. For how I treated you. I know I was horrid to you...that I don't deserve you... it was unforgivable. I just..." Rose broke down and sobbed freely.

The Doctor's remaining heart nearly stopped. She wanted _his_ forgiveness? This was the woman whom he had nearly gotten killed more times than he could count, whom he'd been unable to save from an alternate universe, whom the other him just left on a beach with some 'clone', and whom he'd been useless to save from a hideous torture. And she wanted HIS forgiveness? "Oh Rose, my sweet, beautiful human. You have nothing to be sorry for," the Doctor soothed, wanting nothing more than to have her in his arms right then. "You reacted like any sane person would. You were left in the cold on a beach and were told to accept me as Him and move on. I can't even imagine how you must've felt. I know he meant well, but he handled it so poorly. And you had to deal with the fallout of his decision...me. _I'm_ the one who doesn't deserve _you_, Rose. I wasn't the one who left you there, but seeing as He is me... I'm at least partially responsible. I'M the one who's sorry, my Rose. I'm sorry for leaving you to deal with this and I'm so sorry for not telling you that I loved you years ago. Please, please forgive me."

Rose sobbed again, but this time, with honest, soul soothing joy. Completely focused on the man in front of her, she said happily through her tears, "It... It took me a while to figure it out, but I know you're the Doctor... MY Doctor. And I was going to tell you... beg you to take me back. I love you so much!" she grinned.

"Rose... you are going to get the snog of your life when we get out of this. And we ARE going to get out of this, my beautiful human!" the Doctor assured her. With renewed purpose, the Doctor wracked his brain to come with a plan that would see these people pay for their mistreatment of his living heart.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to all who've faved and reviewed! I'm incredibly grateful! ****  
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A couple of hours later, the door to the dark cell finally creaked opened again. To the Doctor's relief, it wasn't Blondie coming back to prove her superiority. Shooting a look in Rose's direction, he knew she'd be worried about the same eventuality, so he made a point to let her know she could relax a bit by naming their company out loud.

"Adik, my man! Rose... it's Adik!" the Doctor said as cheerily as he could. Adik responded with a raised eyebrow as he approached the Doctor with a tray. Briefly concerned that it might hold implements of pain, he was pleasantly surprised to see it's contents were edible. A plate of some unidentifiable meat and a potato sat beside a cup of water. Adik placed it beside the Doctor and walked around him to undo his hands.

"Again... not that I'm complaining, but can I inquire as to the reason for the newfound hospitality?" the Doctor asked Adik as he once again rubbed his sore wrists.

"Eat." Adik said simply, going back to stand beside the door.

"Right. A man of few words. I like that. Keeping the really brilliant stuff to yourself can pay off. And I would know. Weellll, not that I would know about that, personally, you know. This regeneration I've got a bit of a gob on me. Just ask Rose. Right Rose?" the Doctor said, not waiting for a reply. "But I do respect people who know when to keep their mouths zipped. I bet you've been a pretty prized asset around here, seeing as how your mistress doesn't seem very fond of chit chat. Speaking of 'Her Blondness', is she coming back anytime soon? Maybe with a tray for Rose? A drink, at least, might be nice, eh Rose?" the Doctor finished.

Rose merely nodded... for whose benefit she wasn't sure exactly, but felt that some reply was warranted.

Adik merely continued standing impassively. He glanced down at the tray and back up at the Doctor, indicating that he should eat.

Seeing Adik's lack of violent response as encouraging, the Doctor decided to forge ahead. Picking up the meat, he smelled it before tentatively touching the tip of his tongue to the lukewarm lump of flesh. Safe. Merely oversalted, overcooked beef. He sent up a silent thanks that the meta-crisis had spared his extra-sensitive taste buds. Tearing off a small bite, he chewed a bit before starting in with Adik again.

"Listen, Adik... do you think she could at least get her blindfold taken off? It's not like she's going anywhere."

Adik seemed to consider this and, after a moment, slowly lumbered over to Rose and pulled the fabric from her eyes. Rose blinked and slowly opened her eyes, squinting until they adjusted to the little amount of light that filled the room. "Thank-you," she whispered, fighting her instinct to shrink away from him. Instead she looked up at him as best she could, trying to give him what she hoped looked like a grateful smile.

Realizing the depth of his victory, the Doctor knew this was an important moment and didn't squander it.

"Thank-you, Adik," he said in a quiet, serious voice. "You may not know this, but Rose here was the one who actually saved this planet from the Cybermen a few years back. If it weren't for her, you and your family would be shopping at 'Homebase' for lunch food." The Doctor smiled, looking at Rose, thankful to see her eyes again. Adik had resumed his station, but seemed to be listening, if his expression of mild interest was any indication. Encouraged, the Doctor continued, "The Defender of Earth, my Rose," he said, once again singing her praises, his voice full of pride and adoration. "She's not only saved this planet, either. There are at least eight other civilizations I could name that owe her their existence. I suppose, though, I'm really most thankful that she took time out to save me as well," he said, his eyes locking with hers. Even though she knew he was talking her up as part of some larger plan, Rose couldn't help but start to well up and his undisguised appreciation. The Doctor's voice dropped in volume and pitch as he slid into admission of a truth he hadn't yet shared with her. "She saved me. Even when I thought there was nothing worth saving, she found a kernel of good in me. And that's when I knew I needed her. More than I needed to breathe." He looked at her as if they were alone in the room. Rose's breath hitched at his words.

Shaking himself back to the here and now, the Doctor forced himself to look back at their captor. "Adik... could I please give her some food and water?" the Doctor entreated, looking at him with expectant hope.

Adik seemed to consider this for a moment, then turned his head to check the hall. He looked back thoughtfully at Rose. She bravely tried to return his gaze. After a moment he said, "Water".

The Doctor nodded his gratitude, then got to his feet slowly with the cup of water. Making his way over to Rose, he carefully raised the glass to her lips, trying his best not to spill any of the liquid on her bare chest. She swallowed gratefully. After a couple of sips, she refused it, telling the Doctor to finish it. He looked at her seriously and insisted she take the rest. He held the cup up to her again, and she took more at his insistence. Once she'd had enough, the Doctor nodded his thanks at Adik again and returned to his seat near the pole.

"So, do you have anyone out there you love, Adik? Because I don't mean to harp on this, but if you do, I can't imagine you want to see them evaporate, just cease to exist, because that woman and her friends feel that this device is the answer their prayers." The Doctor looked seriously at the man in front of him. "The creators of this weapon wanted only one thing, Adik. The eradication of mankind. They existed only to spread their evil and end the lives of humans. They didn't succeed. And do you know why? Because I stopped them. And in doing that, I had to end the lives of my people. An entire race. Wiped out. I'm the last one. And I'm not even that anymore," the Doctor added quietly. Finding his stride again, the Doctor continued, "All so that those monsters couldn't do the same to the earth and other unsuspecting life-bearing planets. And now...that bloody weapon could wipe out all the humans on the very planet I've already saved more times than I can count." The Doctor paused for a moment, looking down at his hands. "I've always loved this planet, Adik, but now I have the reason I exist sitting in front of me, hoping to continue living on it. And I hope to have a future with her. And that can't happen if it's _gone_," the Doctor entreated, locking eyes with him.

Adik stood still, his eyes looking down on the Doctor emotionlessly. After at least a full minute of silence, the large man finally said, "Finish," and nodded at the plate still sitting in front of the Doctor.

Deflated, the Doctor lowered his head and picked up the now cold potato and bit off a chunk. After a few minutes, he put what was left of the potato back on the plate and nodded to Adik to indicate he was done. Adik approached and gestured for the Doctor to put his hands behind him again. He did as he was told. Adik bent down and bound his wrists again, then picked up the tray and left silently, briefly catching Rose's eye on his way out.

The Doctor felt something was a bit off with the ropes and tentatively tested the strength of his bindings. He found they were loose enough for him to wiggle his hands and wrists around. Feeling enthusiasm start to bubble, he let out a small giggle. "Rose... he's left the ropes loose...we can get out of here!"

His enthusiasm was infectious and Rose found herself giggling along with him. Eager to be released, she watched the Doctor wiggle out of the ropes and crawl over to her to untie her legs. Her bindings were extremely tight and it took a few minutes to get her free. Rose sucked air in through her teeth as the Doctor attempted to remove the ropes; the scabs formed on her skin pulling as the ropes were gingerly separated from her wrists and ankles. Finally she was freed and she flew into his arms.

The Doctor savoured every sensation: her chest pressed against him, her face pushed into his shoulder, her hands wrapped tightly around him. He held her as if his life depended on it. And it did. But he also knew their time was limited. Reluctantly, he whispered, "Rose, we've got to move".

She nodded, knowing that he was right. Quickly he helped her up and pulled her to the door. Peeking his head out and looking to see that the coast was clear, the Doctor encouraged Rose to move with him out the door and along the hallway. They passed a number of doors, each housing a small inset window. Scanning each as they went by, the Doctor noted that a number of the rooms were occupied. In the middle of each room stood some sort of examination table. Some held 'alien' devices that were obviously being studied. Passing by yet another door, he spotted the very thing that made his heart stop earlier. The pybronashin sat alone on its trolley on the other side of the solid door. Signalling Rose to stop for a moment, he tentatively tried to turn the doorknob, but unsurprisingly found it locked. Cursing his current state of undress, he looked longingly through the small window. Sadly, there was nothing for it. They would have to leave the device and hope against hope that Torchwood could recover it before Blondie and her cronies blew up the planet.

Silently encouraging Rose to continue by guiding her with his hand on the small of her back, they moved further down the corridor. Despite his best intentions, the Doctor was finding it very difficult to ignore the fact that his hand rested on Rose's very bare back. Aware that his thoughts were straying into incredibly inappropriate territory given their circumstances, the Doctor tried to focus on continuing to scan the door windows. In doing so, he missed the dark bundle stuffed into the corner of a small recess in the wall. Thankfully, Rose was paying more attention than he was, and stopped in her tracks, with him bumping into her from behind. Their large jail guard must have thought to leave them their clothes, knowing they'd likely come by this way.

Thanking Adik with every brain cell he had available, the Doctor pulled Rose into the dark corner and pulled their clothes out from the bundle. Kneeling down and holding her panties open for her to step into, he did his best to ignore the fact that he was holding Rose Tyler's knickers in his hands as he helped her slide them up, being careful to look away as they neared their destination.

Through all this, Rose's energy was waning, despite her best intentions. She leaned her back against the wall of the little alcove while the Doctor pulled her jeans up her legs to slip them carefully past her hips. Her fever had full control over her now and she dearly appreciated the cool of the cement on her heated bare skin. After doing up the clasp of her jeans, his hands lingered for a moment at her waist. The very thought of the Doctor's hands moving on her bare skin made her belly tighten and heart race. Standing here, half dressed, she felt almost deliciously at his mercy. It seemed the Doctor was silently acknowledging their shared desire in this moment as well. Sadly, this was hardly the time for such thoughts. She'd have to content herself with her fantasies for now, knowing that now they may well have a chance of coming true if they ever got out of here. "Doctor," she whispered, "we should go, right?" she said regretfully.

"Right," the Doctor said, swallowing hard.

During this time he'd been trying to distract himself from his lustful thoughts, and was actually quite proud of his restraint until he stood and handed Rose her lacy pink bra, unwittingly finding his eyes dropping to the lucky fabric's upcoming resting place. Well _that_ didn't help. Finding himself blushing, _Blushing, for Rassilon's sake! He really was human now, wasn't he?_, he quickly tried to avert his gaze while she hooped the cups over her breasts. He couldn't help but notice, however, that she was struggling weakly to get the clasps done up. "Let me get that," the Doctor said quietly, having to clear his throat to get his actual voice to work. He reached around her in a hug to pull the offending elastic fabric together to be connected. Exhausted, Rose let her head lean on the Doctor's chest as he finally got the clasps done. With Rose's head resting softly against him and his arms around her, where they should be, he had to shake himself into motion once again. As much as he wanted it to be, this wasn't the time to indulge in... well, everything he'd been thinking involving Rose since the day he'd met her. Gently clearing his throat, the Doctor bent down to pick up Rose's shirt and helped her pull it over her head. With her clothing finally sorted, he found his pants, shirt and jacket in the pile at their feet, and pulled them on as quickly as possible. Reaching down into his suit jacket pockets, he grinned triumphantly on finding the bits and pieces he'd 'borrowed' from Torchwood before his life had been so rudely interrupted.

"Rose, I have an idea," he said urgently. "Stay here, keep quiet, and Don't. Move." he ordered, emphasizing his last words with jabs of his finger in her direction.

Not happy at the thought of letting the Doctor out of her sight, she opened her mouth to voice her disapproval. And knowing Rose would likely argue, the Doctor had wisely come up with an effective way of silencing her protests. He leaned in and kissed his precious girl with everything he had. Rose's surprise didn't stop her from giving it back as good as she got it, and the Doctor found himself forcefully being pushed back into the wall with Rose's body melded to his and her fingers threading into his thick hair. She tasted as delicious as he'd remembered, if not a few degrees hotter, reminding him that they shouldn't linger here. He needed to get her somewhere safe and get her treated as soon as possible. She let out a soft moan as he gently pushed her back from his lips. "I'll be right back, my completely beautiful human. I promise," the Doctor assured her. Slightly dazed from their snog, Rose merely nodded and watched him race back in the direction they'd come.


	11. Chapter 11

Having left Rose behind in the little alcove, the Doctor felt his blood pressure slowly leveling out again. Rassilon. Snogging Rose was the most incredible activity in the multiverse. It had almost physically hurt him to separate himself from her body back there. He'd had kissed Rose before, of course, but this body's response to her was beyond anything he'd ever experienced. He couldn't help himself from thinking about how much he literally ached to experience it again. And again.

Finding the door he was after, the Doctor reigned in his fevered thoughts. He had to focus, otherwise he might not ever get to experience that blessed contact again. He crouched, laying out the bits and pieces of technology he'd pulled from his pockets on the ground in front of him. After a few curses and too many minutes, he'd managed to assemble a make shift sonic screwdriver. It barely fit the definition, but it would at least open a lock. Turning to the door, he sonic-ed the handle, releasing the mechanism with a small 'click'. Pocketing his new best friend, he entered the room and as quickly as possible the Doctor made his way around the device, finding what he was looking for right away. Working deftly, he completed his task after a few minutes of fiddling, ever mindful of seconds ticking by. Finally, with the component he'd managed to separate from it's casing in hand, he snuck from the room and back down the hall. Coming up on the alcove that housed his ill companion, he stopped dead in his tracks. Ahead of him, Rose had stepped from her hiding place, shadowed by Blondie, holding a gun to the back of Rose's head.

"Doctor. So nice of you to join us! Rose was just wondering when you might show up. I assured her you were on your way, but she had her doubts, didn't you, dear?" Blondie said, pushing the gun against her skull a bit harder forcing Rose's head forward and down.

"Let her go," the Doctor said menacingly, leaving no doubt that he was indeed the Oncoming Storm; not merely some dim copy of the original.

"Tell me, dear Doctor, why would I want to do that? I have a better idea! You will replace that component and get the weapon working. Then, _maybe_ I'll consider letting her live," Blondie threatened through gritted teeth.

Knowing he had little choice at this point, the Doctor conceded. "Alright. I'll help you. But only if you let Rose go. What I'm holding in my hand is the nuronium fusion binder cell. And the only way you'll ever get this back in one piece is by letting her go free," the Doctor said, holding up the weapon's component in one hand, ready to smash it to the ground if need be.

Looking completely furious that the Doctor actually had something to hold over her, she glared at him, almost growling in frustration. Finally she gritted out a compromise. "You know damn well we can't free her. Do you think we're idiots?" Without turning her head she called, "Adik!" Adik rounded a corner up ahead, awaiting instructions.

"I will NOT release her, Doctor," Blondie snarled, "but I _will_ offer her antibiotics in exchange for your willing assistance. You help us fix the weapon, and I will ensure your... 'Rose' is given medication to treat her infection." Blondie paused, her gun still pushing against Rose's skull.

"I will only return this when I see her given the first treatment. Not before. And I will only continue help you as long as I know Rose is safe," the Doctor conceded, indicating there would be no more negotiation.

Rose shook her head vehemently, "No, Doctor! You can't!" she entreated.

Blondie regarded the Doctor for a moment and then nodded her assent.

"Nooo!" Rose nearly wailed before being pushed ahead and nearly tripping into Adik's arms. Her strength finally giving out, she only feebly fought when Adik picked her up like a sack of potatoes and flung her over his shoulder with an 'oof'.

As they made their way to the infirmary, the Doctor and Blondie walked alongside each other, Blondie's gun still trained on Rose and the Doctor continuing to hold the nuronium cell above his head, ready to thrust it downward in a split second.

They finally reached a white door blocked by an armed guard. Blondie waved him from his station and he moved aside without question, opening the door as he did so. Adik strode ahead into the room and deposited Rose almost gently, the Doctor noted, onto one of the padded tables.

"Dr. Madden," Blondie said, acknowledging a small man sitting at a microscope across the room, "these are our latest guests, The Doctor and Rose Tyler. This one's your patient," she informed him, nodding in Rose's direction. "She has a rather nasty infection, as you already know." Blondie smirked, sharing an informed look with the little man. "If you could be so kind as to help our guest with some antibiotics, I'm sure she'd be grateful."

Dr. Madden gathered up some instruments and circled the table Rose was sitting curled up on, and motioned for her to lie down. Rose looked to the Doctor, not sure if she should really trust this lot to do anything but cause her more pain. Understanding her trepidation, the Doctor nodded minutely, giving her silent assurance that she was going to be okay. Rose looked warily at the so-called physician standing beside her holding tubes and a needle, and slowly lay back on the table.

The Doctor once again marvelled at her trust in him. And once again, he vowed he wouldn't let anything ever hurt her again.

After ensuring his captors were really giving her antibiotics and not some lethal cocktail (and thanking every deity he could think of for his superior taste buds once again), the Doctor allowed himself to be escorted away from Rose and back to the object of their insane obsession. As he was marched back along the corridor, he continued to worry for Rose's safety, but at least now he knew she should be able to fight this infection and win. It was his last glance at her on his way out that made him well up with pride. She had bravely nodded at him trying to ease his fear of having to leave her. She must've known that it nearly killed him to have to let her out of his site again.

He was broken from his reverie by a sharp jab to his ribs from behind, shoving him sideways into the now familiar room housing the device. "Oi! Easy!" he barked over his shoulder at the lump Blondie labelled as 'Hugo'. Hugo grunted some non-committal sound and stepped back to guard the exit after letting Blondie pass.

"You will find all the tools you should need on that table," Blondie said, pointing at a long narrow table lining the far wall. "Hugo, here, will keep you company. He's not much of a conversationalist, and he's a bit trigger happy, but you'll find he's very motivating should you become distracted," Blondie smiled. With that, she left.

Hugo stood, regarding the Doctor coldly.

"Right," the Doctor started, "I guess there's no point in putting this off, is there, Hugo, my man." The Doctor strode over to the table with the nuronium cell in his hand and perused its offerings. Whoever these people were, they certainly had access to some interesting technology. Looking over the tools lined up in front of him, he chose the one most likely to take the longest to make a dent, and picked it up to examine it more closely. A standard issue Cloxian laser scalpel. Stock 23rd century earth technology but quite common among other species long before humans came across it. The Doctor wondered idly if it had been discovered and converted to human use earlier in this universe.

"Get to work," Hugo grunted from the door.

"Hang on, there, this is precision work, this," the Doctor snapped. "I can't just use a hammer and and chainsaw to slam this together." The Doctor turned back to the table and selected a few more useful, but not necessarily efficient tools. Turning around, he grabbed a small rolling stool, sat on it and rolled himself over to the pybronashin. With the laser scalpel between his teeth, he leveled the component and ever so gently placed it in the nuronium fusion binder cell shaped hole on the side of the device. Despite the fact that he could have completed his task in mere minutes, the Doctor managed to draw out the process of affixing the component back to the weapon so that it lasted a good hour and ten minutes. That done, he smiled up at his guard and rubbed his hands on his pants before setting to work on the detonator. He started by very gingerly removing its casing, using the laser scalpel to join its shredded pluranial wires. Just then, Hugo sneezed loudly behind him, causing him to drop the scalpel sending it clattering to the floor. "Rassilon!" the Doctor roared. "Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?! Not to mention every other breathing soul on this planet?!"

Hugo at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish before gesturing at the Doctor to get back to work.

With his hands shaking slightly, _Damn this human sympathetic nervous system_, the Doctor leaned down to pick up the scalpel he'd dropped. That was when an idea hit him. As quickly as he could, he scooped up the scalpel and aimed, firing the piercing beam at Hugo's legs. The firey light sliced cleanly through his pants and skin, stopping only when it hit bone. The cut was deeper than he'd intended, but he'd had to act fast. Howling in pain, Hugo doubled over, falling to his knees. Using his advantage, the Doctor jumped up and forward, elbowing the man squarely in the back of his neck, sending him careening forward unconscious onto the floor. Dropping the makeshift weapon, the Doctor returned to the pybronashin, intending to remove the nuronium cell in case he should require leverage once again. Just as he leaned in to begin it's re-removal, he heard voices drifting down the corridor. Biting his cheek in indecision, he quickly determined that the time needed to remove it might prove too much, and he abandoned the idea in favour of running. To Rose and away to safety.


	12. Chapter 12

We're nearing the end, dear readers. A couple more chapters to go... but not without a bit more Whump and some smut. Yup, smut.

Given the site restrictions, this version is a bit less adult than the original. There is a more graphic version of this chapter on 'Teaspoon and an Open Mind' for those of you who are interested. The changes aren't huge, just a little less graphically described. Here's the link:

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Having fallen asleep on the padded table, Rose woke groggily to find herself hooked up intravenously to a bag of clear fluid hanging from a stand beside side her gurney. Across the room sat the doctor who had given her the antibiotics, once again at his microscope, seemingly engrossed in his work. She carefully and silently removed the needle that had been piercing the back of her hand and shifted herself slightly on the 'bed', trying to ease herself into a sitting position. Unfortunately, she realized too late that, while her shirt still covered her upper half, she was bare under the thin sheet covering her lower half. The movement of her legs resulted in a loud 'squeak' on the fake leather of the examination table, alerting the doctor that she was not only awake, but moving.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Tyler," the doctor said, looking up from his work. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks," Rose lied as confidently as she could.

Giving her a look of doubt, the man they'd called 'Dr. Madden' stood and crossed the room to stand in front of her. "Lie down," he said softly. His expression was one of concern, but Rose felt anxiety beginning to fill her. When she didn't move, he moved forward and placed both his hands firmly on her shoulders and began to push her back. Knowing for sure now that this was leading nowhere good, and sick of feeling like a victim, Rose circled his arms round, throwing his hands off her. "Get your mitts off of me!" she indignantly asserted.

Losing all pretense of caring, the small doctor said, "You will lie down, Ms. Tyler, or I will call in someone who will make you. And trust me, you'd rather do it of your own free will."

Feeling slightly more energized now that she had some adrenaline pumping through her, Rose decided enough was enough. This was her chance. She was alone with this tiny man, she was feeling stronger, and she felt sure she could take him. Or, at least, take him by surprise. Swinging her right leg up as deftly as she could, she managed to connect with the side of his body, sending him careening away from the table to fall heavily on his arse. Jumping off the table, she made it a few steps toward the door before the world began spinning. Losing her balance, she fell to the ground, her half naked self splayed out like she was intending to make a snow angel on the white linoleum floor.

"Guard!" she heard the doctor yell above her. Rose turned onto her back facing the doctor, ready to kick the little creep if he came any closer. Behind her, someone else entered the room. She felt herself being lifted from under her arms and from there she was dragged, literally kicking and screaming, back to the bed. "Get off me, you great lump!" she cursed as she was held down fast on the table. The doctor pulled out the restraints which would bind her to the padded covered slab and began fastening them starting with her flailing feet. She was not going to go easily.

The guard holding her upper half was no help to the doctor who was trying in vain to hold a foot long enough to strap it down. "Guard! What the hell's his name?... Adik!" the doctor yelled, ducking her kick. "Get your ass in here."

Adik appeared at the door. "Don't just stand there, you idiot! Hold her legs down!" the doctor yelled. Adik did as he was told and held her legs firmly. The doctor quickly bound them with the straps and with the help of the first guard, got her wrists strapped to the table as well.

His chest heaving, the little doctor surveyed his work.

A lump formed in Rose's throat. The small man affixed his glasses back properly on his nose and regarded Rose with a mixture of fury and triumph. Rose cringed as the doctor's cold hands slid too lightly up her legs until they reached the painful wounds adorning her thighs. "Ooo," the doctor 'tsk'-ed, "that is certainly one nasty infection, young lady." Rose looked up at the ceiling, hoping this would end soon, but knowing that the likelihood of that was nil. That was when he grasped her thighs, pressing his thumbs squarely into her wounds. Rose screamed and wailed and tried to pull herself away from his punishing grip, but the bonds held fast. When he finally let go, tears were streaming down her face, dripping into her hair.

"Leave," the doctor said over his shoulder to the two guards. They both did as they were instructed. As Rose sobbed, she felt despair settle in as she watched Adik exit the room followed by the other burly guard. She had been holding out hope that he might be able to help her, but when the door snicked shut behind them, she knew she was on her own. No Adik. No Doctor. Just her and this little hateful bastard.

She continued sobbing as she felt his hands snake up the inside of her burning, aching thighs, gently separating them.

Suddenly, the full weight of Dr. Madden's torso landed on Rose's lap. Rose cried out in alarm, watching blood trickling from the back of the doctor's head as it rested on her hip bone. Looking up from the carnage, Rose took in the large form of Adik slowly lowering a metal pipe of some kind.

"Come on," he said, undoing her bonds and throwing the little man's body off her like a rag doll. Shaking herself out of her shock, she did as she was told and allowed herself to be helped off the bed. Nausea and dizziness rolled over her, but she fought it.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, grabbing the thin blanket from the floor as she was being pulled to the door.

"Out," Adik said simply, checking the corridor for guards while Rose wrapped the sheet round her middle.

"But what about the Doctor?" Rose asked anxiously. "I have to help him!"

Adik shook his head and started pulling Rose along the hallway. She tried to protest, to convince him that they needed to return for the Doctor, but found Adik to be unyielding. It wasn't until they were nearly found by a couple of passing guards that Rose decided to stop arguing for now. It wouldn't do the Doctor any good if she and Adik were both caught. Avoiding the various fatigue clad personnel they came across, they finally stopped in front of a nondescript door along a darkened hallway. Adik slid his ID pass along a sensor on the side of the doorframe and with a 'click' the door was unlocked. Rose found herself being ushered through the door with Adik prodding her to continue moving. Turning to try to once again convince him that she needed to find the Doctor, she was surprised to find he was no longer following her, but was standing in the doorway he'd pushed her through.

"Keep going until you get to the end of this hall and turn left. There's an exit door there. It's not guarded. It leads out onto the bank of a river. Cross it. There's a road about 5 miles if you head straight."

"But Adik, I have to find the Doctor," Rose entreated. "He could be being tortured right now! I'm not leavin' him," she tried.

"I'll get him. You're too weak. You'll slow me down. Now go." With that, Adik backed through the door and closed it shut behind him. Not knowing whether she should try to get back through the door and follow him or whether she should go ahead and try to bring back help, Rose stood frozen in indecision. Finally, deciding that Adik was probably right about her only slowing him down, Rose made up her mind to try to escape and bring back help. She realized she hadn't even thanked Adik for risking his life to help her escape. The best she could hope for now was that she'd have a chance to thank him once this was all over.

Moving along the low-lit corridor, mindful of every sound, she followed Adik's directions and found the exit door. Bracing herself for alarm bells or a siren, she was desperately relieved to find the door opened without even a creak.

Stepping carefully outside the building, she peeked around, making sure no one was about. The river was a few steps from the exit, as Adik had promised. Knowing there was nothing for it, Rose slid herself down a muddy sloping hill and tentatively stepped into the rapidly moving water. She winced at the piercing cold. Taking a deep breath, she waded as fast as she could through the freezing liquid that splashed up to her chest at times. She knew she should be thankful that it didn't get much deeper than that, but about now she was finding it difficult to be thankful for much. WIth chattering teeth and blue skin, she finally reached the other side and climbed, bare foot, up the embankment to find herself facing an open field. Stumbling from one small bush to another, she made it across the open expanse to a distant thicket of trees. From there she crept under the cover of forest until she could no longer see the field behind her. Only stopping to catch her breath occasionally, she pushed on, making her way through the foliage, avoiding low hanging branches and twigs as best she could. As she ploughed ahead, she wondered vaguely how long it would be before she suffered hypothermia. Her wet shirt clung to her like a second skin and despite having rung it out, the sheet she was using as a skirt was doing nothing but slapping coldly against her skin as she walked.

Before she'd even exited the bunker and started walking she knew her body would betray her rather quickly. She'd only received one treatment of antibiotics, which no doubt helped, but didn't cure her infection by any stretch. On top of that, she was weak from being tortured, and she'd only managed a few hours of sleep in the last... she didn't even know how long they'd been there. As she continued on, sweat poured from her freely and wisps of hair clung to her hot forehead and cheeks. She had a fever again, she knew. She was shivering violently and with every step she became weaker. It took all her will to keep moving, knowing she had to get help. The Doctor needed her to be strong and she wasn't going to let him down.

As she walked, her thoughts drifted back to Bad Wolf Bay and how she'd felt finally kissing him. It was undeniably right, but her reasoning mind wouldn't let her see it at the time. She mentally slapped herself for having taken so long to figure out what this Doctor was to her. He was Him. He was her chance at real happiness. And he forgave her. Her eyes welled up remembering his words in the bunker. She mentally smiled recalling his flattering description of her. Her mind jumped to their heated snog in the alcove and a pleasant heat filled her belly at the memory. She was interrupted from her pleasantly distracting thoughts when her vision began to blur and spots of black swam before her eyes. Stumbling forward, her feet finally unable to completely lift themselves from the ground in order to propel her onward, she fell headlong into the underbrush. Her face was pressed solidly into the mud, sharp twigs and rocks digging into her cheek, but she barely noticed. Her pleasant thoughts had been mercilessly replaced by terrifying ones. If she didn't make it to the road, the Doctor would be left at their mercy. She had to get help.

Moving on adrenaline alone, Rose channelled all her remaining energy into her arms, willing them to push her away from the unforgiving ground and back onto her course. Unfortunately, her muscles refused to cooperate, unable to comply with her will. Her face fell again onto the firm ground and her vision clouded completely. The last thing she saw was a pair of dark boots filling her fuzzy field of vision. Then everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

Snaking his way through the corridors once more, the Doctor set out to find Rose. He'd managed to keep track of the right and left turns on his way through the maze of hallways when he'd been marched from the infirmary earlier and he retraced his steps carefully now to ensure he didn't make a wrong turn on the return journey.

Almost to the last turn, a bracing alarm suddenly peeled and red lights whirled above him and through the hall where he stood. He murmured a particularly nasty curse in his native tongue. They must have found out he'd escaped. His gut tightened. That narrowed their chances of escape. No. He mustn't think that way. First thing's first. He had to get to Rose.

Hearing pounding footsteps approaching, he quickly sonic-ed his way into the next door he came across. Peeking out of the little window set at eye level in the door, the Doctor saw two armed guards running in the direction he was headed. That didn't make sense. Unless... ohhhh. _Oh, at'a girl, Rose!_ he thought. _She's managed to escape!_ Then a terrible thought hit him. _Or she'd been caught trying._

Well he couldn't just sit here wondering. Opening the door a bit, the Doctor listened. He heard voices up ahead but couldn't make out what they were saying. Creeping out the door and inching forward along the hall, the Doctor was finally able to make out some dialogue. He moved a bit further and from his hiding place around a corner he finally spied a couple of guards standing in front of the open infirmary door. A crackle broke over one of their radios and he heard a woman's voice. Blondie. He couldn't make out what she'd said, but the guard's reply was clear. The girl was missing.

The Doctor's heart nearly sprang from his chest in relief. Rose was alive and somewhere in the complex. She'd maybe even made it out of this prison entirely. If anyone could do it, Rose could. He had to be sure, though. How could he find out? Trying to put himself in her place, he reasoned that her first step would probably have been to find him. She had no idea where he was, though, since she'd been pretty much unconscious during her journey through the halls to get to the infirmary in the first place. Reasoning that she would have considered that, he figured that her next thought would have been to try to get out and go for help. He wondered how long ago she'd escaped. Was it before or after his own self-initiated release? Either way, it wouldn't be long before they discovered he was missing as well. And now they were on high alert. The Doctor took a moment to evaluate his options. There weren't many. He could create a diversion. Hmmm. That would buy him much needed time. He'd always hated that saying, but it actually fit right about now. As long as it was a diversion Rose would recognize, she'd know to get out as soon as possible, knowing he wouldn't be far behind. Brilliant!

A diversion. FIre was always fantastic, but with the technology this building was housing, he couldn't guarantee a fire might not set off some highly combustible substance they were stupid enough to keep around. Looks like he'd have to improvise. That was always what he did best anyway.

The guards he'd been watching were called on their radios to head to 'Section H' and started heading away from him, turning at an intersection up ahead. The Doctor turned to head the other way and walked headfirst into a large male chest.

An unmanly yelp escaped him and he immediately jumping back. Looking up, he was relieved to see Adik looking down at him rather amusedly.

"She's not here," The large man stated, keeping it simple. "She got out. You'd better do the same."

The news hit him like a supernova. Rose had gotten out. Yes! Before he had time to consider what that meant, Adik piped up. "Follow me. Hurry."

He didn't need to be told twice. Picking up his pace to keep up with the remarkably nimble giant ahead of him, the Doctor blindly followed his new friend, hoping that Adik's knowledge of this place would be enough to get them out alive. They entered a small hallway opening into a medium sized warehouse space. That was when hIs hopes were abruptly cut to shreds. Adik stopped dead in front of him. Coming alongside him, he found himself facing a firing squad of eight or ten guards. Shit.

"Right," the Doctor said, raising his hands in the air in surrender. "Gentleman, as you can see, my friend and I aren't armed. Okay... weellll, _he_ is. But _I'm_ not. And I've got a bit...o.k., a _lot_ of a problem with guns. So let's just say you've caught us fair and square and you can put those down, yeah?"

Not surprisingly, no one lowered their guns. Emerging from the middle of the pack, the woman who had been at the centre of this nightmare stepped out. "Doctor. You're really starting to piss me off. Not only have you damaged one of my best men, somehow you've managed to kill Dr. Madden and another of our guards has gone missing. And Adik," Blondie snarled, turning her attention to the burly guard. "I thought you were so happy here with us. Such a shame your tenure will be cut short" she snarled. Blondie turned to the guard immediately to her right and said, "Shoot him."

"NO!" the Doctor yelled as a shot rang out. Adik yelped and clasped his hands to his chest before slowly crumpling to the floor. The Doctor dropped to the ground beside him, gently trying to turn him to evaluate the damage. Adik's breathing was laboured and his chest was wet with blood. He clutched at his chest and the Doctor did his best to put pressure on the wound. A sound wheezed from Adik's mouth and the Doctor leaned over so his ear was inches from the man's mouth. Whispering a mumbled word with a gasping breath, the large man suddenly went slack in the Doctor's arms. The Doctor sat still for a moment, dropping his head in grief. This man had not only risked his life for him and Rose, he'd lost it. Turning to fix Blondie with a piercing stare the Doctor growled, "You've killed him."

Blondie met his stare with a menacing one of her own. "That was the _idea_, Doctor! And you can thank yourself for that. _You've_ killed him. You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself!"

The Doctor stood slowly, his eyes murky and dangerous. "There was a time when I might have believed that," the Doctor said lowly, lowering his hands to fist at his sides, "but I've since learned that beings can only be responsible for their own actions. You and your... friends, here...this is on _you_." The Doctor emphatically pointed to the man lying on the floor. "This good man has paid for your insane choices. I can only be held responsible for what I've done. Oh, and I feel nothing but responsible for my actions," the Doctor punctuated, his anger increasing with every word. "I've taken on the pain of destroying entire civilizations, knowing that I was the cause. Me. Only me. But you! You do unspeakable things to other living beings and continue on like you've increased your worth somehow. And now you and yours are working on resurrecting one of the most mind-numbingly powerful weapons ever created, only so you can say you have it. A weapon that could wipe out everything you've ever valued in a microsecond. Well here's what you have to... no, NEED to understand. If anything happens to these people, to this planet, because of that weapon... that's on_ your_ conscience. No one else's!" The Doctor's fury shone in his eyes and every word he spoke had been a challenge. And Blondie knew it.

Guns trained on him, the Doctor stood fuming, his eyes bright with anger. Silence fell over them for a sizable moment before Blondie broke it.

"You think you understand what we're about, Doctor? You think you're so much better than we are because you've travelled in space? Well guess what? You're only as good as the money you have and power you wield. And from what I know of you, you have neither on this planet. The people I work for _are_ money and power. And they will use both to ensure they gain more and more of it." Blondie stood glaring at him, providing time for the full meaning of her words to puncture the Doctor's resolve.

Suddenly, the Doctor smiled. A face splitting grin. "Oh, I think they might be a bit disappointed, then, with your shoddy work, Ms. Blondie of Blondeville! Because I know something you don't!" the Doctor smirked.

Blondie's face belied her fury at his response. Pulling out her own pistol, she aimed it directly at his head. "And what is _that_, Doctor?" she said tightly.

"Weelll, for the sake of accuracy, I actually know thousands of...no, millions of things that you don't know. But the most important thing that I know right now that you don't, is that you're currently surrounded by a well armed troop of Torchwood agents." The Doctor's eye was clearly focused on something behind Blondie, and he reinforced his comment with a little wave.

Turning slowly, Blondie took in the scene behind her. Her guards were completely surrounded by Torchwood operatives with rifles. She slowly lowered her gun.

"So it looks like your best option is surrender," the Doctor said, his tone suddenly serious.

Blondie turned to look at him again. Her face melted from contorted fury to steely resolve. "If you're working with Torchwood, then you know that isn't an option. I'm a dead woman. And if I'm going out, I'm taking you with me."

Swiftly, Blondie raised her gun, pointing it in the Doctor's direction. Instantly, deafening shots rang out all around, filling the room with ear-piercing noise and the smell of gunfire. The Doctor ducked quickly, covering his head with his arms as mayhem reigned all around him. He hissed when a bullet grazed his foot as he squatted down beside Adik's still body. After what seemed like hours, the pandemonium finally died down and the sound of running boots filled the Doctor's ears. Looking up, the Doctor caught site of Blondie's bleeding corpse, her lifeless eyes gazing emptily ahead. As much as he thought should be overjoyed to see her like this after what she'd done to Rose, the reality of it saddened him more than he would ever have expected. Another life. Gone. Too many lives had been lost in the name of power and wealth. Even her life was one loss to many.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to all the very kind souls who have been faving and reviewing and following!

This is a short chapter and I wasn't sure if I should just link it with the next one or not. I opted to post it separately. Hope that's o.k.!

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Despite his absolute insistence that he be reunited with Rose straight away, Torchwood insisted on following their own protocols first. This involved a lengthy debriefing and a full medical examination which the Doctor resolutely refused. His refusal met with stubborn denial of access to Rose, which left the Doctor between a rock and a hard place and thoroughly fed up. Finally, three days later, Pete apparently finally convinced the American branch that the Doctor was, indeed, 'exempt from medical examinations due to rare contamination caused by exposure to alien technology.' With Pete's persuasion the Americans agreed to transport the Doctor back to London. The Doctor could have sworn he'd read inquisitive hunger in the eyes of his liberators as they processed him to return back to the U.K., but he supposed he could hardly blame them. He was incredibly interesting, after all. He allowed himself a small smile, imaging how Rose would've responded to a comment like that.

While his mind flip flopped between trepidation and excitement as he finally boarded the plane. He knew that the moment had come to face Rose. The reason for his excitement was obvious. His trepidation was born of the fear that she'd realized she'd made a mistake and would turn him away again. He found his anticipation had been unfounded, however, when he was informed that Rose had already returned home having been cleared medically two days before. As much as he was relieved that Rose was finally and completely safe, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he wouldn't be sharing the trip with her. He'd already had a lot of time over the past few days to think, and for him 'days' was an excrutiating amount of time. It was too much time to consider, ponder and worry. His thoughts wandered from his circumstances, to Torchwood, to 'Georgia Smith' (which he'd discovered was Blondie's real name), to the differences between this universe and the other. But his thoughts always ended back with Rose. Now, sitting in this plane, fastening his lap belt, he prepared himself for yet more thinking. More worrying. Rose had seemed so sure she wanted to be with him when they were together in that bunker. But she'd just been bitten, raped and electrocuted. She had been running a ridiculously high fever. It was very possible she had been literally out of her right mind at the time. What if...

"Doctor!" a happy voice greeted. The Doctor looked up and found himself staring at Jake - a Torchwood agent who had helped he and Rose when they'd fought the Cybermen a few years back.

"Jakey-Jake!" the Doctor responded, honestly happy to see the familiar face. He thrust his hand out and Jake shook it enthusiastically.

"I'm your London Torchwood escort, here to make sure you've not been manhandled or the like," Jake said, smiling hugely.

"Looks like it's a good thing you're here. I was getting the distinct feeling they were getting a bit probe happy there by the end," the Doctor shared.

Jake chuckled and settled in beside him for the long trip back from Seattle, where it turns out they'd been staying for the last while. Jake filled the Doctor in on all the details about the organization he and Rose had been kidnapped by. They were apparently referred to as the 'Claimers'. They were a secret agency funded by a number of incredibly wealthy individuals who had recruited Georgia Smith to serve as their frontman. Georgia had been an American Torchwood agent until she went missing during a salvage operation. The cargo they were sent to retrieve had been explosive and they figured it must've been booby-trapped, because it blew sky high. Georgia had gone missing and was presumed dead, but it turns out she had actually defected.

Apparently the only reason Torchwood knew as much as they did about the Claimers was because they'd managed to get an informant on the inside. The Doctor knew immediately who Jake was referring to. It explained the word that Adik had died trying to impart. 'Torchwood'. Adik had been working as an undercover operative for a while now and had fed Torchwood invaluable information about the Claimers and their activities. They'd had few successes converting the technology they'd found into useful weapons until they'd come across the weapon the Doctor had been so alarmed about. When they'd taken the Doctor and Rose from London, they knew Adik might have to break cover. But it wasn't until they'd discovered the Doctor's alien biology that Adik had to act. There was a very real chance that the Doctor had the information they were looking for and they couldn't risk it falling into Georgia's hands. That explained Torchwood's timely entrance at the bunker.

Wait. The Doctor froze for a moment. They knew. Torchwood knew he was wasn't completely human. The Doctor then realized the predicament he was truly in. That really was hunger he'd read in the Americans' eyes. The thought made him shiver. Now he understood just how fortunate he was that they'd let him go. That explained Jake's presence. That also explained why it took so long for them to release him. What would it mean for him if Torchwood now knew what he really was? He put that information aside to ponder later. For now, he took solace in the fact that Pete would surely do his best to make sure he would be able to live on this planet without, at best, being harassed, and at worst, being dissected.

He and Jake spent the rest of the trip chatting about various things, which thankfully made the time pass relatively quickly and distracted the Doctor from his worry and anxiety that Rose may, rightfully, have had a change of heart.


	15. Chapter 15

This is the last chapter - WHEW! I made it! Thanks to all for reading - hope you enjoy this last 'yahoo'! :) Review are love.

**ALERT: Here there be smut! **

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As he and Pete pulled up to the mansion in the rover, the Doctor's heart filled with dread. He'd pictured this moment so many times over the last few days, and each time it seemed to turn out differently. Sometimes Rose welcomed him with a hug rivalling all those in their shared history. Other versions had her taking his hand tenderly, and looking up into his eyes with honest joy. In worse versions, she'd turned away, clearly filled with contempt for him. It was obviously the last version he dreaded and he couldn't bring himself to dismiss the possibility it could actually come to pass. She'd been pushed beyond what most humans could endure. And he had been unable to help her. He had replayed their intimate moment in the hallway over and over in his mind and his subsequent promise that he would return for her. He desperately wished he'd never left her alone there in the first place. He knew deep down that he'd really had little choice. The weapon had needed to be dealt with. But he could've gotten Rose to safety first, then returned to deal with the device later. Rose would never have had to suffer as much as she did. He'd learned about her escape and the fact that she'd been literally near death when she'd been found. How could she ever forgive him for letting her go through that? He'd promised he would make sure she was safe.

Now standing outside the car, looking ahead at the entryway to the mansion, he wasn't sure he even deserved to lay eyes on Rose right now.

Pete came around the car and clapped him on the back reassuringly. "She was on her way to see you, you know," Pete said, sensing the Doctor was wavering. "She was ready to give it a chance. That hasn't changed, Doctor. She loves you." Pete paused for a moment to let this sink in. "Now go in there and make my daughter happy," he said, with another light pat on his shoulder. The Doctor's heart skipped a beat. She loved him. Pete had started to walk on ahead of him toward the large front doors. Daring to let some hope eke into his heart, the Doctor followed him with much less dread than he'd felt moments ago.

As they approached, the door flew open and an ecstatic Jackie flew out, wrapping the Doctor in a tremendous hug. She pulled back to look at him, cupping his face in her hands to get a better look at him. "You look 'orrible!" she declared, pulling him into another bone crunching hug.

"Oi! Jackie!" the Doctor yelped, pulling himself back from her a bit. "Still a bit tender, yeah?" he apologized, hoping not to appear ungrateful for the positive attention.

"Oh! Sorry, darling!" she fawned. "Come in! Come in, you two! Hello, sweet'eart," she said, kissing Pete in greeting. "Come on then, Doctor. Rose is upstairs. She wanted to meet you at the airport, but I wasn't about to let her out of the house. The doctors told her she should be in bed resting for at least two more days before she tries to be up and about." The Doctor's stomach clenched. He'd known that Rose would need time to recover and heal, but facing her pain again also meant directly facing his own inadequacy. Another voice played in his head just then. It sounded gruff, Northern and impatient. _ "Oh, for Rassilon's sake, man. Grow a pair! This is not about us. It's about Rose. And our precious girl needs us. So go up there and show her you'll not let her suffer on her own ever again."_

Jackie noticed the Doctor lagging behind. She beckoned him to follow her upstairs. He roused himself and followed obediently. "I'm telling you, Doctor, we had one hell of a row. She was downright bullheaded about going out. But in the end, I won. A mother always wins. Remember that," Jackie said, reaching Rose's bedroom door. The Doctor blew a puff of air through his pursed lips, running his hand through his hair as he reached the door, steeling himself.

"Aww, you're nervous. Don't be, Doctor," Jackie said gently. "She's so excited to see you." Jackie's expression suddenly became very serious. "But listen here, you daft alien. Leave her to rest. No... well, you know. My girl has to heal up before any of that goes on."

The Doctor felt himself flush red at the suggestion that he... they would... "Oh. Um... well, I, uh..."

The door of the bedroom swung open. Rose stood in the doorway glaring at her mother. The Doctor drank in the vision. With the light from her nightstand shining behind her, she looked almost ethereal. She wore a simple pair of deep pink sleep shorts and a loose fitting lighter pink nightshirt. Her blonde hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Even cross she looked gorgeous. "Mom!" Rose blustered, "Leave him alone!" With that, she grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them.

A muffled voice drifted through the door. "You two behave in there! You should be resting, Rose!"

"Go _away_, Mom!" Rose yelled back through the closed door. Turning to give the Doctor a bashful tongue biting grin, she held fast to his hand and used her grip to pull him to sit on the edge of the bed with her. They sat shyly for a moment, both stealing glances at each other. Rose giggled lightly. The Doctor returned her joy by allowing himself a chuckle as well. After all they'd been through, here they were acting like a couple of inexperienced teenagers...or 75 year olds, in the Doctor's case.

As their laughter tapered off, the Doctor allowed himself a moment to drink in the site of her. She returned his gaze with a full, honest grin. Her smile engulfed him and he allowed himself to bask in it. He felt his eyes well up as he let her warm brown eyes melt his fears.

Seeing him so open and raw made Rose's heart break. She felt her own tears building and wasn't ashamed when they began to fall. "Oh, Doctor!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. His tears fell freely then as well and he mumbled her name over and over, petting her hair and rubbing her back. Finally her sobs receded and she pulled back a bit, her face lowered, snuffling. The Doctor gently lifted her face to look at her. She was incredible and amazing. And his. "You're beautiful, Rose."

Rose started laughing at his pronouncement, knowing that she clearly looked mess. She'd tried to freshen up for him before he got there, but now here she was, a wet sopping spectacle. And she so appreciated the fact that he didn't even seem to care.

Suddenly the Doctor's face fixed into one a bit more serious. "But you should be resting, Ms. Tyler," he pronounced. Rose protested a bit, but the Doctor became bossy. "Get your arse in those sheets or I'll have to put it there myself!" he directed, moving around the bed to pull the sheets back.

"Or you'll have to _what_?' Rose smirked, daring him to answer.

"You heard me," the Doctor scolded, looking for all the world like a proper nanny.

Rose sniffed brazenly and turned dramatically away from him, crossing her arms in mock defiance.

"Alright," the Doctor sighed, "you asked for it." With that, the Doctor made his way back around the bed and scooped Rose up swiftly and easily. Rose whooped loudly, surprised that the Doctor actually took her dare. Circling the bed again, he placed her gently on it, pulling the sheets up and over her. Smiling down at his pink and yellow girl, he smiled and sighed again, brushing her hair back from her angelic face. "You're... incredible, Rose," he said, looking lovingly at her. "I... I honestly don't believe I deserve you," he shared.

Snaking her arm up from under the blanket, Rose brought her hand up to caress the side of his face and began to protest, "Doctor, I..."

"No, Rose, I _know_ I don't deserve you," he interrupted earnestly, "but I swear to you that I'm going to make it my life's work to try to make myself worthy of you." Drawing strength from the warm hand cupping his face, his voice softened. "If you'll have me... this me, I'd like to spend the rest of my life...this human life, with you. I... I love you, Rose," he said tenderly.

Rose's heart melted. She knew he loved her. He'd all but said it when they were in the bunker. But hearing the words fall from his gorgeous lips was overwhelming. Rose realized she'd stopped breathing and let out a gasp. Reaching up to pull him down on top of her, she dragged his face to hers, planting a desperate kiss on his warm lips.

The Doctor, finding himself sprawled on top of Rose's blanket covered body, returned her kiss with a passion he'd been keeping bottled up ever since they snogged in the bunker. Raking her fingers through his hair, Rose's enthusiasm rose to meet his, and she teased his lower lip with a soft bite. The Doctor groaned into her mouth, sending sparks of desire down into Rose's belly. He returned the favour by capturing Rose's face between his hands, his tongue insisting on entrance to her mouth. She granted it.

They lingered there, teasing, sliding, and exploring each other's mouths until they parted, both drawing in much needed breath. Not losing a beat, Rose used the brief pause to snake her hand down his lean side to pull his shirt from it's tucked place in his trousers. The Doctor gasped at the contact of her warm hand on his sensitive skin. Running her hand up to his chest, she used her other hand to try to push his jacket from his shoulder.

Pulling himself up to kneel over her, Rose whimpered at the loss of contact. Eager to reestablish contact, the Doctor quickly removed his jacket, tie and shirt, and unceremoniously threw each piece to the floor. Leaning forward to capture her lips once again, he settled his body along hers on the bed. Rose's hands wandered heatedly over the strong plane of his chest and over the clenched muscles of his back, causing goosebumps to spring up where her warm hand had skimmed. While Rose continued her ministrations, the Doctor slowly lowered the blanket underneath him to expose Rose's thin pink nightshirt. Playing with the hem of the shirt around her neck, he gently tugged it down to reveal more of her smooth skin to him. Enticed by the sight, the Doctor leaned in to plant reverent kisses along her delicate neck and collarbone, tasting her hot skin and breathing in her brilliantly arousing scent.

Rose mewed her appreciation of his exploration, spurring him to continue delving further, using his lips and tongue to tease the tops of her breasts. Rose hissed in a breath, and with a decisive movement, deftly moved him aside so she could sit up and pull off her top. The Doctor's breath hitched as she lay back, her breasts exposed to him, the light from her bedside lamp spilling over her supple curves. Reverently, he hovered over her, gently cupping one of her breasts, enthralled by the soft weight of it in his hand. Unable to pull his eyes from a part of her he'd wanted to explore for years, he leaned in and pulled the nipple of her breast into his mouth, closing his eyes, relishing the hardness of the heated contracted bud and revelling in the gasping breaths coming from Rose as she arched off the bed. She raked her nails along his back leaving welts in celebration of her excitement. Already aching for her, desire hardened him even further as Rose slid her hands under the band of his pants to travel down, traversing the plains of his backside to grab him firmly, pulling him down insistently on top of her. Pushing herself up to grind herself against him, his readiness was evident despite the layers between them.

"Rassilon," the Doctor ground out, his eyes squeezing shut at the desperate friction they were creating.

"Doctor," Rose said breathlessly, "you...you're... take your clothes off. I need you. Now."

Not needing to be asked twice, the Doctor dragged himself off of her to stand beside the bed and rushed to undo his belt. Impatient for him, but wanting to savour this moment, Rose sat up and reached to still his hands. "Let me help," she insisted looking up at him with lust filled eyes. The Doctor, arrested by Rose's hooded gaze, dropped his hands to his sides. "Close your eyes," Rose whispered. He did. Intending to take her time despite her almost excrutiating want for him, Rose gently tugged at his belt, pulling the leather straps apart, probing for access to the clasp that separated her from the rest of him. Prying the button open, she followed it's release with a wet lick of the skin now revealed to her. The Doctor shivered and let out a moan that sent a fire shooting through her to settle in anticipation between her legs. Dragging his trousers down his lean frame, she let her hands wander up and down his thighs. "Rose," he murmured, his voice liquid heat in her ears.

"Shhh," she directed gently. "Let me...I need to feel you. All of you." The Doctor nodded and swallowed as Rose began her exquisite torment once again. Barren of his trousers, Rose began dragging his pants down to reveal his hips, wetting his skin with gentle kisses as it was exposed to her. Liberating him inch by inch from the constraining fabric, laving his skin as she did so, the Doctor's straining cock was finally freed. Reaching up, Rose cupped his tight balls, causing him to gasp and buck his hips forward involuntarily. Rose smiled, pleased with herself for causing this reaction in him. Finding he could no longer keep his hands idle, the Doctor threaded his fingers through her Rose's golden hair, needing to feel more of her. Gazing up at him, Rose gave him a sly smile, opened her mouth slightly and let her tongue fall to rest on her bottom lip. Knowing he was watching her, she let her eyes fall back to the object of her obsession, and moved up slowly to place her mouth mere centimeters from his tip. Letting her hot breath whisper over his deliciously sensitive skin, the Doctor's soft curses drifted to fill her ears from above. She felt him coax his hips forward and his hands couldn't help but draw her into him. Finally, taking pity on her gorgeous male, she took him in her mouth, causing the Doctor to whimper and almost topple over in overwhelming arousal. Savouring the light taste and creamy texture of his pre-cum, Rose rolled her tongue around his head and moaned around him. "Rose," the Doctor rasped, "Rose, I can't...I won't be able to hold on..." he said breathlessly.

Rose released him with a little suctiony 'pop' and smiled up at him. "You minx," he almost growled, pulling her up almost roughly to stand with him. "My turn," he said darkly, his eyes almost black with need.

"Lie down." His insistent tone knotted her stomach and caused wetness to dampen her knickers even further. She did as she was bid, obediently lying down, leaving her knees dangling over the edge of the bed. Unable to take his time, he made short work of her little shorts and knickers, pulling them off her without preamble. Breathing heavily in anticipation, Rose yelped lightly as she was yanked down the bed so her arse was settled at the edge of the bed. The Doctor kneeled, looking almost reverently at her, his face level with her sex. Rose suddenly felt self-conscious. She knew the Doctor had seen her before, but the circumstances had been unforgiving and gruesome. Was he seeing that beaten, bruised person now when he looked at her? Would she be attractive to him? After all, he'd seen her in her most base state. Utterly bared in every way. She couldn't think about it. She _wouldn't_ think about it. In an effort to ignore her rising anxiety she shut her eyes and gently tried to urge him to continue by squeezing her thighs to nudge him into action.

When she felt no movement, she chanced a look at him. He was sitting back on his heels, his eyes full of pain. Fear sparked through her. The Doctor gently took her hands and surprised her by pulling her to sit up on the bed while he kneeled in front of her. His eyes were warm but serious. Biting her lip, worried he was going to turn her away, she felt herself starting to panic. "Rose... there's no way we can ignore this," the Doctor started. Rose sucked in a breath, waiting for the ball to drop. "You were abused and harmed in ways that are unforgivable. They disrespected you. In my eyes it was sacrilege. But you need to know that I will always, always honour you. Your body, to me, is tantamount to a temple. You're incredible, brave and brilliant. You are the world to me and not only do I need you... I worship you. And I will prove to you and that I do. Please... let me show you how you should be treated. How you should be... celebrated and doted on. Let me show you how I love you."

Rose's eyes once again welled up, and she nodded, biting her lower lip. Placing her hands on his head, she opened her legs a bit more and guided him to her centre. Understanding the trust she was placing in him, the Doctor was completely overcome by his love for her. Devoting his entire attention to everything that was Rose, he allowed himself to be immersed in her. Her scent, her heat, her gasps and moans, and above all, her taste.

Rose's breath hitched as the Doctor's tongue slid to where she wanted him most. He felt silken and warm and she wanted more. Allowing herself to lean back, she continued running her fingers through his rich brown hair as she softly encouraged him to continue, wiggling her hips forward on the bed slightly to give him even better access. Groaning into her core, the Doctor gently probed her folds, periodically dipping his tongue into her centre, lapping at the wet offering brought about by his delicious assault. He finally rolled his tongue around her heightened bundle, leaving her head spinning and her words praising him and God. Focusing on the place she desired him most, the Doctor nipped, sucked and rolled over her, lifting her to a point she'd dreamed to find with him many, many times. Swiftly moving toward ecstasy, Rose clutched the sheets beneath her, throwing herself into the brilliance overtaking her, she clenched and writhed, releasing herself to blinding joy and spinning rapture.

The Doctor continued his delicious assault until Rose shuddered the end of her orgasm. Slowly kissing his way back up her body, he carefully helped her drag her now boneless body up the bed to lie beside him.

"Mmmm," Rose hummed, wanting to finish what they'd started. Turning toward him, she ran her hand along his firm chest down toward his flat stomach. The Doctor's hand gently stopped her movement.

Freezing for a moment, concerned she'd done something wrong, Rose looked at him in confusion. Meeting her gaze, the Doctor gently shook his head, "You're exhausted, Rose. And to be honest, I sort of lost it while exploring you," he smiled. Rose beamed back at him, her tongue poking out playfully. Taking the bait, the Doctor swooped down to snog her thoroughly one more time.

Finally, content to lay in each other's arms, the Doctor caressed Rose's arm, nestling his nose in her hair. Breathing deeply, he said, "You smell fantastic, Rose. Wait... is that banana I smell?"

Rose chuckled lightly. "Yeah. And a hint of strawberry, I think," she confirmed.

"Why, Rose Tyler, I do believe you were trying to seduce me! Banana shampoo? What will they think of next?" the Doctor wondered aloud.

Rose giggled again. "So listen, my incredible half alien," she teased, "I guess we'll have to pick a proper human name for you since you'll be living here for a while."

"Done, and done," the Doctor grinned.

"What? You already picked one?" Rose said, surprised. The Doctor nodded, clearly pleased with himself. "Well, are you gonna share with the class?" Rose prodded.

"Weelll... I had a few ideas but I finally settled on 'Tyler'.

"Seriously?" Rose said, honestly perplexed. "I mean, it's a fine name, but why 'Tyler'?"

Considering his answer, the Doctor said, "Well, mostly because it belongs to my favourite ever human, but also because it kind of goes with the last name."

"Alright, Mr. Mysterious. Spit it out," Rose said, smirking up at him from his chest. "The whole name, please."

The Doctor smiled down at her, some big joke in his head making him grin like a five year old. "Rose, you're just shagged 'Doctor Tyler Mark Lord'." He stopped, waiting for her to sort it out.

After a minute, it dawned on her. "Oooohhhhh!" Rose said, delighted at his idea. "Tye M. Lord. Very clever, my crazy man."

"Oh, I can be very clever, my little human. And I plan to show you what incredibly clever things I've thought of doing to you since I met you," the Doctor teased, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Rose snickered, then surprised herself with a jaw cracking yawn. The Doctor chuckled, "But not tonight," he said quietly. "Sleep, my dearest Rose." She smiled and nuzzled his chest before settling and closing her eyes. "I love you," she whispered before drifting off.

"I love you, too, my precious girl," the Doctor whispered back before closing his own eyes and allowing himself to sink into peaceful bliss.

**FIN**


End file.
